as in girlfriends
a female romantic companion
every Jack must have his Gill
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gills
Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 20 Aug. 2025
The other parasites included microscopic dinoflagellates and other flatworms that are known to infect fish gills, skin, or fins.
—Laura Baisas Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The gills are white at first, becoming greenish-gray.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
One of my favorites is the tongue louse, which usually comes in through the gills of the host fish (something like a red snapper), eats the tongue, and then takes its place.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Instead, axolotls keep their external gills and other juvenile features throughout all of adulthood, according to the London Natural History Museum.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Camera crews were penned in across Lexington Avenue; the temple was packed to the gills.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
In addition to rival avoidance, males retreat into their burrows to rest, stay safe from predators, and wet their gills.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Slipper limpets, like other mollusks, feed by filtering, or passing water over their gills.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
The silhouette takes cues from the fluidity of a jellyfish, with an exaggerated midsole meant to echo floating gills.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 20 Aug. 2025
The other parasites included microscopic dinoflagellates and other flatworms that are known to infect fish gills, skin, or fins.
—Laura Baisas Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The gills are white at first, becoming greenish-gray.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
One of my favorites is the tongue louse, which usually comes in through the gills of the host fish (something like a red snapper), eats the tongue, and then takes its place.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Instead, axolotls keep their external gills and other juvenile features throughout all of adulthood, according to the London Natural History Museum.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Camera crews were penned in across Lexington Avenue; the temple was packed to the gills.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
In addition to rival avoidance, males retreat into their burrows to rest, stay safe from predators, and wet their gills.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Slipper limpets, like other mollusks, feed by filtering, or passing water over their gills.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gills. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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