oyster
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.
the oyster-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow of the side bone of a fowl.
Slang. a closemouthed or uncommunicative person, especially one who keeps secrets well.
something from which a person may extract or derive advantage: The world is my oyster.
to dredge for or otherwise take oysters.
Origin of oyster
1Words Nearby oyster
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oyster in a sentence
Crisp up some oysters as you listen carefully to them sizzle, then serve them over some garlicky rice.
6 simple recipes to showcase clams, mussels and oysters | Kari Sonde | January 11, 2021 | Washington PostWith the solar-powered barge, workers wouldn’t have to hoist large cages of oysters from the water, for instance, Rice said.
Solar-powered barge could take oyster farming deeper into Chesapeake | Christine Condon | January 11, 2021 | Washington PostI think it’s nice to have a little tradition, like my grandma’s oyster soup, and put that next to the crudo and say they both stand up next to each other.
As customers and coastlines disappear, a New Orleans chef fights for her community | Dayana Sarkisova | December 17, 2020 | Washington PostJust before serving, add the oysters to the soup and raise the heat to medium.
This briny oyster soup brings the smells and tastes of Louisiana’s coast to your table | Dayana Sarkisova | December 17, 2020 | Washington PostThough it has no electricity or plumbing, the biologists use it for their annual spring shad bakes and fall oyster roasts.
Biologists say a wider American Legion Bridge would destroy critical research site | Katherine Shaver | December 11, 2020 | Washington Post
If you want to be a human being, and a popular human being, then you have to stop being an oyster and come out of your shell.
How to Be Popular, ’50s Style: ‘Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek’ | Maya Van Wagenen | April 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat a sauce that is,” he enthused, “which dresses an oyster I suck from the mouth of the woman I love!
Seduce Like a Writer: How 7 Famous Scribes Wooed | Joni Rendon, Shannon McKenna Schmidt | February 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI added a few impossible positions, just to have a little fun, like the Swan Flying over the oyster Shell.
The Business of Sex: Amy Tan’s ‘The Valley of Amazement’ on Shanghai Courtesans | Jane Ciabattari | November 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA television series, Mama, was broadcast from a studio above The oyster Bar beginning in 1949.
Other, greener options, like wetland restoration or oyster reefs, could also help slow waves before they reach the city.
Hurricane Sandy’s Lesson for Flood-Proofing a Subway | Josh Dzieza | November 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowBut, before they can be used for this purpose, these leaves are coated with lime made from oyster shells and then folded up.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeThe tent on the east shore of the entrance of oyster Harbour.
The recovery of the oyster, clam and other edible shell-fish is also a feature of the work which the Lake Company has in view.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousHe looks as pale as the visard of the ghost which cries so miserably at the Theatre, like an oyster-wife, "Hamlet, revenge!"
Shakespearean Playhouses | Joseph Quincy Adams
British Dictionary definitions for oyster
/ (ˈɔɪstə) /
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
(as modifier): oyster farm; oyster knife
any of various similar and related molluscs, such as the pearl oyster and the saddle oyster (Anomia ephippium)
the oyster-shaped piece of dark meat in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl
something from which advantage, delight, profit, etc, may be derived: the world is his oyster
informal a very uncommunicative person
(intr) to dredge for, gather, or raise oysters
Origin of oyster
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with oyster
see world is one's oyster.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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