definitions

octopus

[ ok-tuh-puh s ]
/ ˈɒk tə pəs /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR octopus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural oc·to·pus·es, oc·to·pi [ok-tuh-pahy] /ˈɒk təˌpaɪ/.

any octopod of the genus Octopus, having a soft, oval body and eight sucker-bearing arms, living mostly at the bottom of the sea.
something likened to an octopus, as an organization with many forms of far-reaching influence or control.

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RELATED WORDS

business, company, partnership, society, enterprise, association, clan, shell, zoo, crowd, hookup, jungle, crew, gang, syndicate, mob, ring, outfit, bunch, multinational

Nearby words

octogenarian, octomerous, octometer, octonary, octopod, octopus, octoroon, octosyllabic, octosyllable, octroi, octuple

Origin of octopus

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek oktṓpous (plural oktṓpodes) eight-footed; see octo-, -pod
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for octopus

British Dictionary definitions for octopus

octopus

/ (ˈɒktəpəs) /

noun plural -puses

any cephalopod mollusc of the genera Octopus, Eledone, etc, having a soft oval body with eight long suckered tentacles and occurring at the sea bottom: order Octopoda (octopods)
a powerful influential organization with far-reaching effects, esp harmful ones
another name for spider (def. 8)

Word Origin for octopus

C18: via New Latin from Greek oktōpous having eight feet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012