lobster
Americannoun
plural
lobster,plural
lobsters-
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.
-
any of various similar crustaceans, as certain crayfishes.
-
the edible meat of these animals.
noun
-
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
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any of several similar crustaceans, esp the spiny lobster
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the flesh of any of these crustaceans, eaten as a delicacy
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.
Vocabulary lists containing lobster
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Reef Awareness Day, List 1
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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.
An astronaut makes an appearance, as does a headless man with a lobster.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Will Sommer: It’s kind of like pulling in the lobster traps.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Lawlor adds, “The local ingredients in Boston and New England were different, with items like lobster and molasses, which make many New England Chinese food dishes darker and sweeter.”
From Salon • May 3, 2026
Red on one side, black on the other — a rare two-colored lobster is spared the kettle.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Looking into Sookie’s cooler, I thought about the choking factor of the rubbery meat, but lobster was one of my favorite meals.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
