Showing results for mollusks. Search instead for molluskans.

mollusks

Cultural

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.

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.

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

Speaking of what makes up this most delicious and fragrant stew and despite the name, go on and include shellfish: crustaceans, mollusks or bivalves, anything you like.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2025

The mollusks are efficient filter feeders and can increase the clarity of water by consuming large quantities of plankton, which native fish and other creatures depend on.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 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

For some reason, snail-like mollusks seem to be almost immune to the effects of insecticides.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023