shellfish

noun

shell·​fish ˈshel-ˌfish 

: an aquatic invertebrate animal with a shell

especially : an edible mollusk or crustacean

Examples of shellfish in a Sentence

lobsters, crabs, and other shellfish

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, the Washington State Department of Health halted the recreational and commercial harvest of clams, oysters and mussels in Drayton Harbor after receiving multiple reports of people falling ill after consuming raw shellfish from the area. —Jasmine Mendez follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

The audience booed as Colbert listed the cost of shellfish and steak. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026

Young children and pregnant or breastfeeding persons should limit their intake of fish and shellfish. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2026

The warning stopped short of a recall and urged consumers not to eat the shellfish raw. —David K. Li, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shellfish

• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish
• kingfish
• offish
• redfish

Kids Definition

shellfish

noun

shell·​fish ˈshel-ˌfish 

: an invertebrate animal that lives in water and has a shell

especially : an edible mollusk (as an oyster) or crustacean (as a crab)