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:
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
People who depend on eel fishing for the bulk of their income are now waiting to hear what support they may get from Stormont.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Scientists know the European eel starts its life in the Sargasso Sea, off the east coast of the United States, but they have never witnessed its breeding behaviour in the wild.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
It transforms into a glass eel as it travels from coastal estuaries to places like Lough Neagh and Lough Erne.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“You send a girl get me at Banga you be need help. I go show you cook eel. They got a big eel downa river yesterday. That fish a good be for children.”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Researchers know that eels can detect Earth's magnetic field, but exactly how they sense it remains uncertain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Harrison suggests that eels are one possible candidate.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
"The price of diesel was just the last straw," he said, after other key concerns including catch limits on bluefin tuna and new regulations for fishing eels.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
Along the span were shops and stalls of every sort; weavers and lacemakers displayed their wares cheek by jowl with glassblowers, candle- makers, and fishwives selling eels and oysters.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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