Illustration of jellyfish
- jellyfish 1a
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈje-lē-ˌfish 
1
a
: the typically free-swimming, bell-shaped, usually sexually-reproducing solitary or colonial form of a cnidarian in which the whorls of tentacles lined with nematocysts arise and hang down from the margin of the nearly transparent, gelatinous bell : medusa
especially
: a large medusa characteristic of the siphonophores and scyphozoans (such as the sea nettle or box jellyfish)
b
c
2
: a person lacking backbone or firmness
Examples of jellyfish in a Sentence
a jellyfish who was afraid to tell her boss that her latest brainstorm was just plain bad
Recent Examples on the Web
In January 2023, Viking published its first scientific paper detailing its expedition team's encounters with the rare giant phantom jellyfish in Antarctica—spotted during submersible dives with guests.
—
Stefanie Waldek, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Oct. 2024
The video sequences, which Munk conceptualizes along with the food, can be especially unsettling: what initially appears to be a dreamy vision of jellyfish swimming around a reef evolves into a visual reprimand about ocean pollution, with plastic detritus outlasting dying coral.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
No other fossils from the Ediacara period have shown this type of organization so definitively, with most showing a simple radial symmetry (like modern jellyfish).
—David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Comb jellies, or ctenophores, are transparent creatures that are not closely related to jellyfish, despite their name.
—Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jellyfish 
Stefanie Waldek, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Oct. 2024
The video sequences, which Munk conceptualizes along with the food, can be especially unsettling: what initially appears to be a dreamy vision of jellyfish swimming around a reef evolves into a visual reprimand about ocean pollution, with plastic detritus outlasting dying coral.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
No other fossils from the Ediacara period have shown this type of organization so definitively, with most showing a simple radial symmetry (like modern jellyfish).
—David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Comb jellies, or ctenophores, are transparent creatures that are not closely related to jellyfish, despite their name.
—Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jellyfish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jellyfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Jellyfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jellyfish. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈjel-ē-ˌfish
1
: any of numerous free-swimming coelenterate animals that reproduce sexually and have a jellylike, saucer-shaped, and usually nearly transparent body and tentacles with stinging cells
2
: any of various sea animals that resemble a jellyfish
Medical Definition
jellyfish
noun
jel·ly·fish
ˈjel-ē-ˌfish
: a free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells
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