oyster
Americannoun
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oysters
plural
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any of several edible, marine, bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, having an irregularly shaped shell, occurring on the bottom or adhering to rocks or other objects in shallow water.
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the oyster-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow of the side bone of a fowl.
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Slang. a closemouthed or uncommunicative person, especially one who keeps secrets well.
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something from which a person may extract or derive advantage.
The world is my oyster.
verb (used without object)
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oysters,
present (3rd person singular)
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oystered,
past participle, past
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oystering
present participle
noun
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any edible marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Ostrea, having a rough irregularly shaped shell and occurring on the sea bed, mostly in coastal waters
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( as modifier )
oyster farm
oyster knife
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any of various similar and related molluscs, such as the pearl oyster and the saddle oyster ( Anomia ephippium )
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the oyster-shaped piece of dark meat in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl
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something from which advantage, delight, profit, etc, may be derived
the world is his oyster
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informal a very uncommunicative person
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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oystersimple
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oysterssimple
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have oysteredperfect
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has oysteredperfect
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am oysteringprogressive
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are oysteringprogressive
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is oysteringprogressive
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have been oysteringperfect progressive
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has been oysteringperfect progressive
Past
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oysteredsimple
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had oysteredperfect
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was oysteringprogressive
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were oysteringprogressive
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had been oysteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of oyster
1325–75; Middle English oistre < Middle French < Latin ostrea < Greek óstreon; see ostracize
Explanation
An oyster is an animal that lives in the sea, a rough-shelled mollusk. To find a pearl inside an oyster, you first have to find a "pearl oyster" — a rare cousin of the oysters people commonly eat. You can usually tell you've found an oyster on the beach because its shell is bumpy and irregular, unlike the smoother clams or mussels you might see. There are few kinds of oysters that are edible (both cooked and raw), and many others that aren't. You may have heard the expression "the word ls your oyster," which is one of Shakespeare's many linguistic inventions; he means the world is yours to seize, open, and use as you wish.
Vocabulary lists containing oyster
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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.
See Examples For:
Scientists searched for the inclusion of the Gaelic words for oyster or oysters – eisir, eisirein and eisirean – and oyster habitats like sandy banks or tidal causeways in place names around Scotland's coast.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Ecology and wildlife experts hope to use the discoveries to help rebuild oyster populations in suitable coastal locations.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Even Graham Platner, the scruffy Maine oyster farmer, was winning Obama-esque praise before his Senate candidacy imploded.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Pro tip: Birch also hosts Pepe’s Oyster Bar, a monthly pop-up named for chef Kyle Knall’s late father, featuring a rotating menu of hot and cold oyster and seafood preparations.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Peeta’s just pried open an oyster when I hear him give a laugh.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
They then found an oyster bed that had not been previously documented, as well as confirming oysters could have been present at other sites on Mull and Islay.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Black vendors set up stalls where they sold gingerbread, fruit, cider and oysters to attendees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
That’s close to how you pronounce the new starter at quarterback there, Tyler Shough, whose last name sounds like “shuck,” as in shucking oysters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Go for drinks and oysters with friends, or indulge as an appetizer before settling in for dinner.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
With the hammer head he knocked off the excess shell, and with the blade at the other end he struck off the small oysters.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Ms. Gunderson is also well served by much of the cast, particularly Mr. McNall, an Off Broadway treasure who was until recently oystered away at the Pearl Theater.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2017
The state closed the western half of its oystering area in Mobile Bay on Nov. 23, WKRG-TV reports, and closed two small but productive areas in the eastern half of the bay on Tuesday.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2022
At its peak, according to the state, oystering in Apalachicola Bay supported approximately 2,500 jobs.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2020
“But it’s not too late to reclaim it,” Hartsfield said of the oystering way of life.
From Reuters ● Feb. 21, 2020
People still earned a living mostly from fishing, oystering, and trapping.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 25, 2019
There were only a few more days of oystering left that winter of ’44.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
