as in girlfriends
a female romantic companion
every Jack must have his Gill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
a narrow gill in the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in creeks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
a narrow but surprisingly deep gill runs the length of the rocky gorge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gills
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026
Them gills is sharp as razors, too.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Once the ray is anesthetized, an aquarist gets into the water with the ray to make sure that water is flowing over their gills and to keep the ray in position during his exam.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Dec. 2025
Packed to the gills with butt jokes and big emotions, the latest cinematic adaptation of the Nickelodeon show about an earnest yellow sponge and his oddball, underwater friends provides the perfect reason to shut your brain off on Christmas Day and laugh at lowbrow humor for an hour and a half.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
Clear eyes, bright gills, and a clean scent usually signal freshness, while cloudy eyes or a foul odor are seen as warnings.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
The couple went all out, with Bode applying seashells, rhinestones and prosthetic gills to her face while Brooks went with Roan’s signature white facepaint, blue eyeshadow and red lip.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
The Crash Zone spilled from its gills, extending beyond the end-of-the-runway fields and into the surrounding cityscape.
—Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
This means that filter-feeding oysters would have been able to pass all of Chesapeake Bay’s water through their gills in one day, Mann and Lockwood calculated.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
The feathery-looking gills also molt and remain attached inside near the legs.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026
Them gills is sharp as razors, too.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Once the ray is anesthetized, an aquarist gets into the water with the ray to make sure that water is flowing over their gills and to keep the ray in position during his exam.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Dec. 2025
Packed to the gills with butt jokes and big emotions, the latest cinematic adaptation of the Nickelodeon show about an earnest yellow sponge and his oddball, underwater friends provides the perfect reason to shut your brain off on Christmas Day and laugh at lowbrow humor for an hour and a half.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
Clear eyes, bright gills, and a clean scent usually signal freshness, while cloudy eyes or a foul odor are seen as warnings.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
The couple went all out, with Bode applying seashells, rhinestones and prosthetic gills to her face while Brooks went with Roan’s signature white facepaint, blue eyeshadow and red lip.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
The Crash Zone spilled from its gills, extending beyond the end-of-the-runway fields and into the surrounding cityscape.
—Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
This means that filter-feeding oysters would have been able to pass all of Chesapeake Bay’s water through their gills in one day, Mann and Lockwood calculated.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gills. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share