eel
Americannoun
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eel,
plural
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eels
plural
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any of numerous elongated, snakelike marine or freshwater fishes of the order Apodes, having no ventral fins.
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any of several similar but unrelated fishes, as the lamprey.
noun
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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
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any of various other animals with a long body and smooth skin, such as the mud eel and the electric eel
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an evasive or untrustworthy person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing eel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Guernsey Nature Commission said there had been a 95% decline in the European eel population since the 1980s due largely to freshwater habitat loss and barriers to inland feeding grounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
When Reichl first took over the food section at the LA Times, she got a lot of pushback for covering international restaurants and including recipes for things like goat soup, sea slugs, and eel.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
West Cumbria Rivers Trust is dismantling a redundant weir at Glinger Burn near Longtown to help the eel and other fish migrate up and down the river more easily.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The European eel has seen a 90% decline in the last 30 years, the environmental charity said, and risked injury while leaping up the weir when levels are low.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The cook was so delighted to have someone to cook for, she prepared two eel pies.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
The eels are strong swimmers, emerge to hunt at night and, according to some sources, can live up to the age of 80, the ecologist added.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
A spokesperson said trout, eels and lamprey were all confirmed dead.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Recreational and commercial fishing of eels has now stopped in some countries.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the 1980s there was a collapse in the number of eels arriving - what scientists call recruitment - at freshwater bodies in Europe.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The roads on the map twined and twisted round each other, hesitating, then they rose up off the paper, no longer roads, but thick eels with amber eyes.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
