limpet

noun

lim·​pet ˈlim-pət 

1

: a marine gastropod mollusk (especially families Acmaeidae and Patellidae) that has a low conical shell broadly open beneath, browses over rocks or timbers in the littoral area, and clings very tightly when disturbed

2

: one that clings tenaciously to someone or something

3

: an explosive device designed to cling magnetically to a metallic surface (such as the hull of a ship)

Illustration of limpet

• limpet 1

Examples of limpet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In June, the US accused Iran of using limpet mines to blow holes in two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as shooting down a US drone. —Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2019

There are a bunch of different kinds of poke, a bunch of ahi, some crab poke, salmon poke, even poke with limpets, these little sand dollar things. —Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2024

Like everything else that was bigger than a sand grain inside the coffin, the limpets were doomed to be subjected that evening, in the now cheerful atmosphere of the Atlantis II’s main lab, to what deep-sea biologists call a sorting frenzy. —Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Some of the limpets made a desperate (albeit nearly imperceptibly slow) break for freedom up the sides of the coffin. —Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu, from Medieval Latin lampreda lamprey

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

limpet

noun

lim·​pet ˈlim-pət 

: a marine mollusk that has a low cone-shaped shell, moves over rocks or timbers feeding on food found there, and clings very tightly when disturbed