tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈten-ti-kəl 
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)
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
No worries—the electronic tentacles attached to your shoulders give a wiggle, indicating that the hottie, mercifully, has glanced your way.
—
Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
This fun bath octopus by Nuby floats in the water and includes three rings your little one can toss onto the tentacles.
—Christin Perry, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
March 28, 2024 The past, and how its tentacles can reach into the future, lies at the heart of many a mystery.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
The center of its body is white and slug-like with skinny yellow tentacles branching off.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Chef Joel Siegel’s menu has twisted and turned like tentacles since a soft opening began on Valentine’s Day, introducing and tweaking a series of dishes to develop more permanent fixtures.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
They’ve been observed carrying venomous Portuguese man o’ war tentacles when hunting and use scare tactics to frighten and trick prey.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Build an evil-looking Baby Groot, complete with sharp teeth and tentacles.
—Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 3 Feb. 2024
Some jolts of creepiness seem to have been tossed in as random arcana without explanation, notably the leech-like tentacles Noble plugs into his torso for kicks at bath time.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023
Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
This fun bath octopus by Nuby floats in the water and includes three rings your little one can toss onto the tentacles.
—Christin Perry, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
March 28, 2024 The past, and how its tentacles can reach into the future, lies at the heart of many a mystery.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
The center of its body is white and slug-like with skinny yellow tentacles branching off.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Chef Joel Siegel’s menu has twisted and turned like tentacles since a soft opening began on Valentine’s Day, introducing and tweaking a series of dishes to develop more permanent fixtures.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
They’ve been observed carrying venomous Portuguese man o’ war tentacles when hunting and use scare tactics to frighten and trick prey.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Build an evil-looking Baby Groot, complete with sharp teeth and tentacles.
—Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 3 Feb. 2024
Some jolts of creepiness seem to have been tossed in as random arcana without explanation, notably the leech-like tentacles Noble plugs into his torso for kicks at bath time.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near tentacle
Cite this Entry
“Tentacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentacle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
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
Medical Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
: 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
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