Illustration of barnacle
- 1 peduncle
- 2 cirri
barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
ˈbär-ni-kəl 
1
2
[from a popular belief that the goose grew from the crustacean]
: any of numerous marine crustaceans (subclass Cirripedia) with feathery appendages for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but permanently fixed (as to rocks, boat hulls, or whales) as adults
Examples of barnacle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reeled up from the ocean deep – coated in algae, barnacles and sea anemone – the haul had been sunk, deliberately, years before.
—
Alex Christian, WIRED, 28 Sep. 2020
Tube worms are immobile creatures that settle and grow in one place without moving, like barnacles.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
Nearby, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer turned felon and now all-around barnacle, lingered on the red carpet, there to give interviews for no other reason than to jab Trump some more.
—Michael Appler, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
Tender and delicious, gooseneck barnacles are expensive.
—Jessica Kelly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barnacle 
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Alex Christian, WIRED, 28 Sep. 2020
Tube worms are immobile creatures that settle and grow in one place without moving, like barnacles.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
Nearby, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer turned felon and now all-around barnacle, lingered on the red carpet, there to give interviews for no other reason than to jab Trump some more.
—Michael Appler, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
Tender and delicious, gooseneck barnacles are expensive.
—Jessica Kelly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barnacle
Dictionary Entries Near barnacle
Cite this Entry
“Barnacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barnacle. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
ˈbär-ni-kəl
: any of numerous small saltwater crustaceans with feathery outgrowths for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but as adults are permanently fastened (as to rocks or the bottoms of ships)
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