often attributive
1
a
: any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish
b
: any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters
2
: something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends
the world was her oyster
3
: a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl
4
: an extremely taciturn person
5
: a grayish-white color
Examples of oyster in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Here’s a recipe for Sandy Ho’s funky fresh oysters.
—
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Poke, oysters, lox and salmon roe are all ready-to-eat as well.
—Benjy Egel, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Complete with mollusks like clams, oysters, snails, and slugs, the model showed how various animals might’ve responded to the climate changes of 252 million years ago based on their modern relatives’ abilities to survive similar shifts in their environments.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
Paso Robles Wine Merchant In the mood for a cheese board or maybe some fresh Morro Bay oysters?
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oyster
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Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Poke, oysters, lox and salmon roe are all ready-to-eat as well.
—Benjy Egel, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Complete with mollusks like clams, oysters, snails, and slugs, the model showed how various animals might’ve responded to the climate changes of 252 million years ago based on their modern relatives’ abilities to survive similar shifts in their environments.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
Paso Robles Wine Merchant In the mood for a cheese board or maybe some fresh Morro Bay oysters?
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oyster
Cite this Entry
“Oyster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oyster. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oyster
noun
oys·ter
ˈȯi-stər 
: any of various marine mollusks that include important edible shellfish and have a rough uneven shell made up of two hinged parts and closed by a single muscle
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