shellfish

noun

shell·​fish ˈshel-ˌfish 

: an aquatic invertebrate animal with a shell

especially : an edible mollusk or crustacean

Examples of shellfish in a Sentence

lobsters, crabs, and other shellfish

Recent Examples on the Web

Purple sea urchin populations have exploded in Oregon in recent years after a die-off of another of the shellfishes' top predators — sunflower sea stars. —Kale Williams, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025

The allergen alterations focused on peanut, tree nut, shellfish and milk allergens, prosecutors said. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 13 Jan. 2025

If eaten raw, oysters and other filter-feeding shellfish can contain viruses and bacteria that can cause illness or death. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2025

Separately, norovirus outbreaks can also spring from food that was contaminated at the source and that’s often eaten raw, like shellfish harvested from virus-laden water or produce washed with it. —Maggie O'Neill, SELF, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shellfish

• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish
• kingfish
• offish
• redfish

Kids Definition

shellfish

noun

shell·​fish ˈshel-ˌfish 

: an invertebrate animal that lives in water and has a shell

especially : an edible mollusk (as an oyster) or crustacean (as a crab)