squid

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural squid or squids
: any of an order (Teuthoidea) of cephalopods having eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles, a long tapered body, a caudal fin on each side, and usually a slender internal chitinous support

squid

2 of 3

verb

squidded; squidding

intransitive verb

: to fish with or for squid

SQUID

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an instrument for detecting and measuring very weak magnetic fields

Examples of squid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The fact that the whale even approached the beach was a negative sign for some experts — according to the National Geographic, sperm whales are known to dive over 3,000 feet in search of squid to eat and generally live deep in the sea. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 No need to tip the hooks with squid or shrimp, but get your baits aboard quickly, as opportunistic king mackerel and barracuda love helping themselves to an easy meal. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 7 Mar. 2024 Contrary to its fearsome name, the vampire squid passively feeds on marine snow – drifting organic particles – using two long, sticky filaments. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Open in Tempe since 2019, the restaurant serves Shandong and Sichuan food with a chef's recommendation section that features items like House Specialty Spicy Pot, made with beef tripe, potatoes, spam, lotus root, celery, tofu skin, wide vermicelli, quail eggs and squid. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 20 Feb. 2024 Read Next Deep-sea vampire squid suffocated 183 million years ago while hunting. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The dungeness stuffed squid immediately piques our interest since dungeness crab season has just begun in the area. Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2024 There’s the city lights that draw migrating birds into collisions with building windows and the noisy boats that can deafen squids. Popular Science, 8 Feb. 2024 Videos posted by a company representative show machines labelled in Korean, and workers with North Korean accents explaining how to clean squid. Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
Hundreds of animals can do the same thing, from fireflies to squid to deep-sea fish. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2011 Commercial fishing -- which has resulted in some penguins ending up as bycatch -- has reduced the availability of the small fish and squid the penguins feed on, and fluctuating sea temperatures due to climate change have altered the distribution of their prey. CNN, 30 May 2022 This trick may give Humboldt squid an advantage over competitors that need to stay in warm, shallow waters all day. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2014 The impact on certain species like squid off the coast of South America is difficult to measure exactly. Claire Fu, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2022 Don't miss the premiere where Tucci travels to Venice to try the local delicacies from baccalà mantecato to squid ink risotto. Silvia Marchetti, CNN, 26 Apr. 2022 According to the Pacific Fisheries Information Network, squid harvests in Oregon went from zero in 2015 to 1,260 metric tons in 2016 and a record 4,667 tons in 2020. Tribune News Service, Arkansas Online, 20 Feb. 2022 Even the Chengdu squid with spicy salt and hot peppers — a name that telegraphs its intentions — escalated its heat slowly, bite after bite, instead of blasting its way to my heart. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squid.' 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

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

superconducting quantum interference device

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1613, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of squid was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near squid

Cite this Entry

“Squid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

squid

noun
ˈskwid
plural squid or squids
: any of numerous sea mollusks that are cephalopods and have eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles, a long thin body with a fin on each side, and a slender internal shell

More from Merriam-Webster on squid

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!