gills
Britishplural noun
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(sometimes singular) the wattle of birds such as domestic fowl
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informal looking or feeling nauseated
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.
"Many fossils show soft parts including gills, guts, eyes and even nerves," he added.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
"During food intake, the water flows through the permeable funnel wall, is filtered, and the particle-free water is then released back into the environment via the gills," explains Blanke.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025
But the managers of alternative assets have this gigantic market squarely in their sights—especially now that institutional investors are stuffed to the gills with private assets they’ve been struggling to unload.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Hermit crabs breathe through modified gills; these gills require high humidity to stay moist, allowing them to absorb oxygen from the air.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
There it flopped, in the bottom of the boat, its jaw working, its gills fanning rapidly.
From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit
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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.