eel

American  

[eel] / il /

noun

eel, plural eels plural

1. any of numerous elongated, snakelike marine or freshwater fishes of the order Apodes, having no ventral fins.

2. any of several similar but unrelated fishes, as the lamprey.

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eel British  

/ iːl /

noun

1. any teleost fish of the order Apodes (or Anguilliformes ), such as the European freshwater species Anguilla anguilla, having a long snakelike body, a smooth slimy skin, and reduced fins

2. any of various other animals with a long body and smooth skin, such as the mud eel and the electric eel

3. an evasive or untrustworthy person

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eel Idioms  

1. see slippery as an eel.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• eel-like
  adjective
• eellike
  adjective
• eely
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eel
  plural
• eels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eel

before 1000; Middle English ele, Old English ēl, ǣl; cognate with Dutch aal, German Aal, Old Norse āll

Explanation

An eel is a fish that's so long and skinny it resembles a snake. Most eels live in very shallow ocean waters, burrowing into the sand there. Eels are a type of fish, and though they are as long and flexible as snakes, they don't have scales, and if you look closely you can see they have a long, low fin. Eels are famous for being slippery, and in fact to be "as slippery as an eel" means to be so sneaky and cunning that you can get away with something illegal or illicit. This figurative meaning dates from the 16th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eel eels

The now elusive species was once common and frequently caught in the River Thames to make eel pies and jellied eels.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Last year, a key global forum that regulates trade in threatened wildlife rejected an EU-led proposal to protect more species of eel.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Endangered European eel numbers in a former industrial river will be boosted thanks to a new project.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

Since the 1980s the European eel population has declined by up to 98% across all life stages.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

I plunge my hand into the box and grab an eel, too.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The fish has proved stubbornly unwilling to reproduce in captivity without intervention, but Japanese researchers succeeded in breeding Japanese eels from eggs in a laboratory setting in 2010 at great expense.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

The other tanks, for Marcellus and the seahorses and the wolf eels, were on a stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

"Glass eels are mesmerising, almost translucent - an adaptation to oceanic migration."

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

He dabbled in a range of businesses, including trucking cargo, importing fish feed and even farming eels.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

But Master Lockton enjoyed the dish, so fat eels weighed down my basket.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson