tentacle

noun

ten·​ta·​cle ˈten-ti-kəl How to pronounce tentacle (audio)
1
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by invertebrate animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
2
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
corruption spreading its tentacles
3
: a sensitive hair or emergence on a plant (such as the sundew)
tentacled adjective

Examples of tentacle in a Sentence

The corporation's tentacles are felt in every sector of the industry. the tentacles of organized crime
Recent Examples on the Web The new species was identified by its tube feet, tentacles and other subtle physical features, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024 Coming in contact with their tentacles can be extremely painful. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024 There were lakes created in the outfield, docks leading from the baseball clubhouses to the ice and a shipwreck in center field with the tentacles of a Kraken pulling the ship underwater. Tim Booth, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2024 These remarkable arms, devoid of stinging tentacles, are adept at enveloping prey such as plankton and small fish in depths up to 22,000 feet. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 How Slugs Eat Slugs use their tentacles, which contain primitive eyes and harbor their senses of smell, taste, and touch, to locate and identify food. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024 The body of an armed anemone can reach about 8 inches across and its tentacles can reach almost 20 inches long, the scientists said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 Octopus tentacles hang from boxes, swordfish heads protrude from tables, vendors gesticulate emphatically. Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2024 Selecting a town like Port Orchard, 28 miles northwest of Tacoma, is indicative of a key CJNG strategy to reach its tentacles deep into small, unexpected corners of America. Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tentacle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin tentāculum, from Latin temptāre, tentāre "to feel, test, examine" + -culum, suffix of instrument (going back to Indo-European *-tlom) — more at tempt

Note: The Latin word was used by linnaeus in the second edition (1740) of Systema naturae and may have been coined by him.

First Known Use

circa 1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tentacle was circa 1762

Dictionary Entries Near tentacle

Cite this Entry

“Tentacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentacle. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tentacle

noun
ten·​ta·​cle ˈtent-i-kəl How to pronounce tentacle (audio)
1
: any of various long flexible structures that stick out usually around the head or mouth of an animal (as a jellyfish or sea anemone) and are used especially for feeling or grasping
2
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
b
: a sensitive hair on a plant
tentacled adjective

Medical Definition

tentacle

noun
ten·​ta·​cle ˈtent-i-kəl How to pronounce tentacle (audio)
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
especially : one of the threadlike processes bearing nematocysts that hang down from the margin of the umbrella of many jellyfishes

More from Merriam-Webster on tentacle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!