octopus

American  

[ok-tuh-puhs] / ˈɒk tə pəs /

noun

plural

octopuses, octopi

1. any octopod of the genus Octopus, having a soft, oval body and eight sucker-bearing arms, living mostly at the bottom of the sea.

2. something likened to an octopus, as an organization with many forms of far-reaching influence or control.

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octopus British  

/ ˈɒktəpəs /

noun

1. 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)

2. a powerful influential organization with far-reaching effects, esp harmful ones

3. another name for spider

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Etymology

Origin of octopus

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek oktṓpous (plural oktṓpodes ) eight-footed; octo-, -pod

Explanation

An octopus is an eight-legged sea creature. Octopuses are intelligent animals, and have been shown to have great capacity for learning. (However, that doesn't stop people from grilling and eating them.) An octopus is a mollusk, which means it's a distant relation of slugs, snails, clams, and mussels. It's also a cephalopod, an animal with a large head and tentacles or arms. Of the other animals in these categories, octopuses are by far the smartest, and they're also incredibly flexible because of their lack of a skeleton or hard shell, which makes them able to squeeze through tiny spaces. The Greek root, oktopous, means "eight-foot."

Example Sentences

Scientists thought the fossil showed eight arms, fins and other features typical of an octopus.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The discovery also provides the earliest known example of preserved soft tissue from a nautiloid and removes the fossil's status as the "oldest octopus" from the record books.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

The giant Pacific octopus lives throughout the Pacific, from the coasts of Southern California to Japan.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

My favorite dish of the night followed: tawa-charred octopus served with cauliflower purée, fennel and crunchy rice for texture, all brightened with yuzu-lime chaat aioli and an orange glaze.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

A moment later I’m climbing back up onto the washing machine, and putting my unblinking octopus eye against the hole.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

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