mollusks

Cultural  

1. A phylum of invertebrates with soft bodies and muscular feet. Some mollusks also have hard shells. Oysters, clams, snails, slugs, octopuses, and squid are mollusks.

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Example Sentences

A radioactive wasp’s nest was found at a decommissioned nuclear worksite in South Carolina, and a thriving community of tube worms and mollusks was located at the bottom of deep-sea trenches in the Pacific.

From Slate • Aug. 1, 2025

These tiny dark-yellowish mollusks, native to rivers in China and Southeast Asia, have already wreaked havoc in South America, and for years have kept officials and ecologists across the United States on high alert.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2024

The so-called “hot girl food” is exactly what its name suggests: processed seafood — namely sardines, anchovies, salmon, mollusks and shellfish — that’s neatly packaged and presented in a peel-back, often decorative tin.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2024

Some particularly creative otters have even been seen using boat hulls and ship ladders as makeshift “anvils” for smashing open mollusks.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2024

At the end of the corridor, long strands of shells hang in an arched doorway, the mollusks separated by odd-shaped bits of polished onyx.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García