lobster

American  

[lob-ster] / ˈlɒb stər /

noun

lobster, plural lobsters plural

1. any of various large, edible, marine, usually dull-green, stalk-eyed decapod crustaceans of the family Homaridae, especially of the genus Homarus, having large, asymmetrical pincers on the first pair of legs, one used for crushing and the other for cutting and tearing: the shell turns bright red when cooked.

2. spiny lobster.

3. any of various similar crustaceans, as certain crayfishes.

4. the edible meat of these animals.

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lobster British  

/ ˈlɒbstə /

noun

1. any of several large marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Homarus, esp H. vulgaris, occurring on rocky shores and having the first pair of limbs modified as large pincers

2. any of several similar crustaceans, esp the spiny lobster

3. the flesh of any of these crustaceans, eaten as a delicacy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lobster
  plural
• lobsters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lobster

before 1000; Middle English lopster, Old English loppestre literally, spidery creature ( loppe spider ( see lob ¹) + -stre -ster ); cf. lop ¹

Explanation

A lobster is a hard-shelled animal that lives in salt water and has two big front claws, or pincers. People who are familiar with red cooked lobsters might be surprised to see that when they're alive they are brown, gray, or even blue. Lobsters are large crustaceans, which means they're related to shrimp, crabs, crawfish, and even barnacles. They live and feed on the bottom of the ocean, crawling on their ten legs and eating fish, worms, and sea plants. As a food, lobster is considered a delicacy today — although before the mid-19th century, it was thought of as food for poor people and prisoners in coastal New England.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lobster lobsters

Increasing numbers of octopus may offer a new market for fishermen, for example, but can hit populations of crabs, lobster, scallops and other shellfish on which they prey.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

What are you going to do this weekend, eat a $45 lobster roll and place 7th in a skiff race?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

My favorite was the spicy lobster spaghetti, tossed in chili tomato sauce and topped with bottarga and breadcrumbs for texture.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Is it enough to merit the risk of an untested outsider with more than a few red flags, a talent for attracting bad press, and enough jagged edges to crack a lobster shell?

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026

It was nothing but lobster chunks in mayonnaise on a toasted hot dog bun.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

Split the lobsters lengthwise with a sharp, heavy knife, brush them with butter and grill them once your guests have arrived, since they cook very quickly.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Now those same lobsters cost more than $15 per pound — more than three times the initial cost, but Cimarusti said he can’t realistically charge three times as much for the lobster roll at $75.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

Lobsterboys then brings lobsters from a Canadian site to a New York distribution point, also via trucks running on diesel.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026

Hundreds of people queued at tech giant Baidu's Beijing headquarters this week for an OpenClaw event where engineers helped attendees set up their "little lobsters".

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

For two years after that fateful day in the supermarket, I thought I’d really set the lobsters free.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Related Words

• clam
• conch
• crawfish
• crustacean
• mollusk
• mussel
• oyster
• prawn
• scallop
• shrimp
• snail