shipworm

noun

ship·​worm ˈship-ˌwərm 

: any of various marine clams (especially family Teredinidae) that have a shell used for burrowing in submerged wood and a wormlike body and that cause damage to wharf piles and wooden ships

Examples of shipworm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The island’s wide, open beaches were perfect for careening hulls, beaching ships and listing them to one side to scrape off the foul barnacles and shipworms that infest the tropical Caribbean. —Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

That could have huge consequences for the world Then there’s the underwater archeologist’s nightmare: shipworms. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024

This is Bankia setacea, also called the Northwest or feathery shipworm. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2014

Teredo navalis—a reddish shipworm, which can grow longer than a foot—ate through hulls. —David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1778, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

shipworm

noun

ship·​worm -ˌwərm 

: any of various marine clams that have a wormlike body and a shell used for burrowing in underwater wood and that cause damage to ships and wharves