plural kelps or kelp
1
a
: any of various large marine brown algae that are large seaweeds (order Laminariales) growing in cool waters
Only canopy-forming kelp are visible on the sea surface.—
Glenn Scherer
Glenn SchererKelps grow fast, drawing on all the minerals and vitamins and nutrients they can from the watershed and the sun.—Zachariah Bryan
Zachariah Bryan… thickets of kelp forming submarine forests in the bay.—Jeff Phillips
see also bladder kelp, bull kelp, giant kelp
Jeff Phillips
b
: a mass or growth of large seaweeds
The kelp near the outer islands teems with marine plants and animals in far greater abundance than it does closer to the coast …—John L. Stein
John L. Stein2
a
: a blade (see blade entry 1 sense 2e) of kelp that is usually dried and used as food (as in sushi or soups)
b
: a dietary supplement containing processed kelp
c
: the ashes of seaweed used formerly especially as a source of iodine
Examples of kelp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The combination of cold sea water and afternoon sunshine should thicken kelp beds off the Point Loma peninsula.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024
The best place to hunt white seabass is in the kelp beds, like this one.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for kelp 
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024
The best place to hunt white seabass is in the kelp beds, like this one.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for kelp
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kelp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Kelp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kelp. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kelp
noun
: any of various large brown seaweeds
also
: a mass of these
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