plural lampreys
: any of a family (Petromyzontidae) of eel-shaped freshwater or anadromous jawless fishes that include those cyclostomes having well-developed eyes and a large disk-shaped suctorial mouth armed with horny teeth
called also lamprey eel
Examples of lamprey in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to lacking jaws, lampreys were also thought to lack sympathetic nervous systems.
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Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024
Moffatt had found lampreys at several new sites, well into the tropical zone above the Tropic of Capricorn.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024
Taking down the dams will give the Klamath’s fish — including salmon, steelhead and lampreys — the opportunity to reconnect with their ancestral habitats.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
Chinook, coho, steelhead, sturgeon and lamprey swam so thick that the ancestors of the Indigenous people who still live in its watershed could fill their nets again and again — and fill their plates with an average of 450 pounds of fish per person per year.
—Melina Mara, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lamprey 
Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024
Moffatt had found lampreys at several new sites, well into the tropical zone above the Tropic of Capricorn.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024
Taking down the dams will give the Klamath’s fish — including salmon, steelhead and lampreys — the opportunity to reconnect with their ancestral habitats.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
Chinook, coho, steelhead, sturgeon and lamprey swam so thick that the ancestors of the Indigenous people who still live in its watershed could fill their nets again and again — and fill their plates with an average of 450 pounds of fish per person per year.
—Melina Mara, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lamprey
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“Lamprey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lamprey. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lamprey
noun
lam·prey
ˈlam-prē 
-ˌprā
plural lampreys
: any of a family of jawless fishes that resemble eels and have a large sucking mouth with horny teeth
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