starfish

noun star·fish \ ˈstär-ˌfish \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of starfish

: any of a class (Asteroidea) of echinoderms that have a body of usually five arms radially arranged about a central disk and feed largely on mollusks (such as oysters) — called also sea star

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Recent Examples of starfish from the Web

Now my peeve: Laguna puts a lot of emphasis on those tide pools but closes its eyes to the shops in town that sell shells and starfish.

— latimes.com, "Protecting tide pools is critical but why not stop selling starfish and shells?," 3 July 2018
But unlike me, holding a notepad with one hand and clutching my stomach with the other, Crenn, a two-star Michelin chef, is sitting stretched out like a starfish, wearing joggers and a burgundy puffer vest.

— marissa miller, Vogue, "How to Spend a Day in San Francisco, According to Chef Dominique Crenn," 17 June 2018
Gigantic lobster tails the size of a dog, the bright suckers of a starfish, and the slurping, sucking, and sloshing of liquids.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Évolution Is the Weirdest Sci-Fi Movie on Netflix," 23 June 2018
There were enormous violet starfish, and fried egg jellyfish, big enough to fill a skillet.

— matthew kronsberg, WSJ, "An Unmissable Outdoor Adventure in Canada’s Gulf Islands," 21 June 2018
Maybe crabs or starfish or those bioluminescent fish. Sneakers or slippers?

— sarah spellings and diana tsui, The Cut, "The Model Finding Beauty in the Mundane," 25 May 2018
The deal will put 58 million Australian dollars into fighting the starfish, with the rest going to improving water quality, funding research into reef restoration, and monitoring damage to the reef.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Australia’s Government Is Putting Millions Into Saving the Great Barrier Reef. But Environmentalists Smell Hypocrisy.," 30 Apr. 2018
The instructor walked slowly toward Carrnell with the starfish, and the boy extended a hand, with two fingers outstretched.

— lindsay ellis, Houston Chronicle, "Meeting a starfish at Rodeo Houston starts with extending a hand," 14 Mar. 2018
The budget allocates AU$536 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef by reducing pollution in agricultural runoff, developing coral restoration techniques, and combating outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, which feed on corals.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "Australian scientists welcome boosts in in new federal budget," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'starfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.