-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
sea urchin
noun
: any of numerous echinoderms (class Echinoidea) that are usually enclosed in thin brittle globular tests covered with movable spines
Examples of sea urchin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And if sea otters were to suffer such losses, that would endanger the health of California’s vast kelp forests, which would be left prey to sea urchins, said Christine Johnson, professor of epidemiology and ecosystem health at UC Davis.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Within them, researchers spotted squat lobsters, sea urchins, and small crustaceans known as amphipods.
—Priya Shukla, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
These are the remains of shells, sea urchins, coral, plankton, and diatoms that drifted down to what was a seabed 25 million years ago, forming thick sheets of limestone.
—Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024
Expect gourmet Italian specialties like sea urchin and truffle dishes.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2024
Martin says Silvera loves playing with local ingredients like seaweed, avocado, citrus, sea urchin and kohlrabi, fashioning them into cheeky plays on familiar themes with unfamiliar executions and presentations.
—Laura Ness, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024
Because rising water temperatures are changing marine habitats, causing the population of sea urchins to explode, the divers now have to swim much further out and risk encounters with poisonous snakes and octopi that have migrated from the much warmer waters of Southeast Asia.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2024
There are also fragments of thin shells that probably were derived from shellfish like clams and mussels, as well as some pieces of an echinoderm (think starfish and sea urchins).
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2023
The depletion of the Pacific Coast’s sunflower sea star has led sea urchins, formerly the starfish’s prey, to begin feeding on seaweed that nearby fish depend on.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sea urchin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1591, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to sea urchin
Dictionary Entries Near sea urchin
Cite this Entry
“Sea urchin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20urchin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
sea urchin
noun
: any of a class of small marine invertebrate animals that are echinoderms, usually live on or burrow in the sea bottom, and are enclosed in roundish shells covered with spines that can move
More from Merriam-Webster on sea urchin
Nglish: Translation of sea urchin for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sea urchin
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share