View synonyms for octopus

octopus

[ ok-tuh-puhs ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural oc·to·pus·es, oc·to·pi [ok, -t, uh, -pahy].

any octopod of the genus Octopus, having a soft, oval body and eight sucker-bearing arms, living mostly at the bottom of the sea.
something likened to an octopus, as an organization with many forms of far-reaching influence or control.

octopus

/ ˈɒktəpəs /

any cephalopod mollusc of the genera Octopus, Eledone, etc, having a soft oval body with eight long suckered tentacles and occurring at the sea bottom: order Octopoda (octopods)
a powerful influential organization with far-reaching effects, esp harmful ones
See spider
another name for spider

Origin of octopus¹

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek oktṓpous (plural oktṓpodes ) eight-footed; octo-, -pod

Origin of octopus¹

C18: via New Latin from Greek oktōpous having eight feet

Sadly, Paul the Octopus did not outlive his impressive but unpopular World Cup predictions by long.

It's at a time like this that Germans yearn most for Paul the Octopus, the great mollusk soothsayer for Germany.

The Oberhausen aquarium erected a memorial of the psychic octopus with a golden urn containing his ashes.

Octopus is one of those sleazy and boorish Americans whose instincts prove correct.

They are the Tarpon, the Falcon, the Sea Fox, and the Octopus.

Both Giddiness and the Ice-Maiden seize a man as an octopus seizes all within its reach.

But hapless flight: the Boodah is an octopus whose feelers reach far, and they, within her toils, cannot escape her omnipresence.

From the deeper trawling were obtained a large octopus and several interesting fish.

These animals belong to the same division—the Cephalopoda—as the cuttle-fish, the squid, and the octopus.

A darker, livid hue passed fleetingly over the pallid body of the octopus.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse