squid

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈskwid 

plural squid or squids

: any of an order (Teuthoidea) of cephalopods having eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles, a long tapered body, a caudal fin on each side, and usually a slender internal chitinous support

squid

2 of 3

verb

squidded; squidding

intransitive verb

: to fish with or for squid

SQUID

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈskwid 

: an instrument for detecting and measuring very weak magnetic fields

Examples of squid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Karl Leitz Japan’s Firefly Squid Is Embraced by Chefs Stateside Editors’ Picks Image Each spring, hotaru ika, or firefly squid, ascend to the surface of western Japan’s Toyama Bay to spawn, setting the water aglow with pinpricks of electric blue light. —New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Other dishes include scallion pancakes, squid, lamb skewers and beef gamo. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Feb. 2025

To juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, a tasty squid might as well be a disco ball. —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025

The 18 course tasting menu comes as a series of tiny plates, with snow crab from Norway, squid from the West coast, a bye-catch from the shrimp trawlers’ nets, and bleak roe from Lake Mälaren. —Heather Farmbrough, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

superconducting quantum interference device

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1613, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1967, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing squid

• giant squid

Rhymes for squid

• bid
• did
• grid
• hid
• id
• lid
• mid
• quid
• rid
• skid
• slid
• amid

Kids Definition

squid

noun

ˈskwid

plural squid or squids

: any of numerous sea mollusks that are cephalopods and have eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles, a long thin body with a fin on each side, and a slender internal shell