oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

often attributive

1

a

: any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish

b

: any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters

2

: something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends

the world was her oyster

3

: a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl

4

: an extremely taciturn person

5

: a grayish-white color

Examples of oyster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dishes keep coming: oysters in a bright aguachile , a ceviche of sea snails in a dusky-sweet salsa macha. —Anya Von Bremzen, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025

Another favorite of mine is Kusa Nori, where each oyster and every piece of nigiri is prepared to perfection. —Rob Reed, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

Listen to live music from local artists and slurp a pile of oysters at Paddy’s Raw Bar. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2025

Grab a blanket to sprawl out for the afternoon at this dog- and family-friendly beach, and set out your collected goodies — bread, mead, pastries or oysters — for your DIY picnic. —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 5 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oistre, borrowed from Anglo-French oistre, ostre, going back to Latin ostrea, ostreum "bivalve mollusk, oyster," borrowed from Greek óstreion, óstreon, of uncertain origin

Note: Greek óstreion has traditionally been taken to be a derivative, with a suffix -ei-, of a stem going back to Indo-European *h₃esth₁-r-, from the base *h₃esth₁- "bone." See note at ostracon.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oyster

• European flat oyster
• European oyster
• Olympia oyster
• oyster bed
• oyster crab
• oyster cracker
• oyster drill
• oyster mushroom
• oyster plant
• seed oyster
• the world is someone's oyster
• vegetable oyster

Rhymes for oyster

• cloister
• moister
• royster

Kids Definition

oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

: any of various marine mollusks that include important edible shellfish and have a rough uneven shell made up of two hinged parts and closed by a single muscle