as in rays
any of several extremely large rays
the manta ray blended in beautifully with the sandy ocean floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 manta rays
Aura Maldives will be located in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known as one of the best places in the country to see manta rays.
—
Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
The Butcher’s Feast is more than enough for a full meal, but there are other treasures, too, like a beef-noodle soup built on a spectacularly rich, slightly offal-ish broth made with marrow bones, with paper-thin slices of A5-Wagyu rib eye swimming in it like manta rays.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 May 2026
Travelers also visit the nearby Nusa islands for quieter beaches, snorkeling and swimming with manta rays.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2026
From July to October, spot whale sharks and manta rays flocking by the hundreds, or save your trip for November through April to enjoy its dry season, with minimal rainfall, abundant sunshine (eight hours of sun per days’ worth), and high visibility for divers.
—Skyli Alvarez, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2026
Night Snorkeling With Manta Rays Kona is one of the few places in the world where manta rays can be viewed year-round in their natural habitat.
—Kait Hanson, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
In a new study, researchers documented seven cases of remoras, a fish known for suctioning itself onto rays—as well as sharks, dolphins, boats and even divers—plunging into manta rays' cloacal orifice, an opening used for pooping, peeing and mating.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
SeaWorld’s sister park in Orlando, Florida, already hosts a nighttime drone show that features undulating manta rays, paddling sea turtles and hovering octopuses.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
The affected zone also sits along a critical migration corridor for reef manta rays, one of the archipelago’s biggest tourism draws.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
The Butcher’s Feast is more than enough for a full meal, but there are other treasures, too, like a beef-noodle soup built on a spectacularly rich, slightly offal-ish broth made with marrow bones, with paper-thin slices of A5-Wagyu rib eye swimming in it like manta rays.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 May 2026
Travelers also visit the nearby Nusa islands for quieter beaches, snorkeling and swimming with manta rays.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2026
From July to October, spot whale sharks and manta rays flocking by the hundreds, or save your trip for November through April to enjoy its dry season, with minimal rainfall, abundant sunshine (eight hours of sun per days’ worth), and high visibility for divers.
—Skyli Alvarez, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2026
Night Snorkeling With Manta Rays Kona is one of the few places in the world where manta rays can be viewed year-round in their natural habitat.
—Kait Hanson, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
In a new study, researchers documented seven cases of remoras, a fish known for suctioning itself onto rays—as well as sharks, dolphins, boats and even divers—plunging into manta rays' cloacal orifice, an opening used for pooping, peeing and mating.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
SeaWorld’s sister park in Orlando, Florida, already hosts a nighttime drone show that features undulating manta rays, paddling sea turtles and hovering octopuses.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
The affected zone also sits along a critical migration corridor for reef manta rays, one of the archipelago’s biggest tourism draws.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manta rays
rays
Noun
-
The researchers used ultrabright X-rays at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to understand how the structural changes improved ion transport.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
-
The raycaster works by sending out rays from the player’s position to detect the distance to the first wall the player can see in that line.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manta rays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manta%20rays. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
