seashell
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of seashell
before 900; Old English sǣscill (not recorded in Middle English ) see sea, shell
Explanation
Many sea creatures live inside hard, protective cases called seashells. If you find a seashell on the beach, think of it as a tiny abandoned home of a sea creature. You can also call a seashell a shell, although "sea" distinguishes ocean shells from those of freshwater mollusks. If you've ever walked on a beach, you've seen seashells, and maybe even collected some to take home (after checking to make sure no tiny creatures were living inside). Clams, snails, and oysters are all examples of animals that live in seashells. One of the most famous mentions of this word appears in the tongue twister: "She sells seashells by the seashore." Try saying that ten times, fast!
Vocabulary lists containing seashell
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:
US Secret Service agents interviewed Comey last May about the seashell photo.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Long sustainably-sourced seashell necklaces that looked like talismans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2025
Each nodule starts as a little fragment, perhaps a shark's tooth or a piece of seashell.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 15, 2023
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”: A tiny talking seashell with a single eye and stylish sneakers charms his way into the viewer’s heart with disarming ease in this stop-motion minor masterpiece.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
They are actual human skulls whose faces have been “reconstituted” in tinted plaster, with pieces of seashell for the eyes.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Comey deleted the initial post, explaining that he came across the seashells while walking on the beach and thought they were a "political message".
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
In a May 2025 Instagram post, Comey wrote, “cool shell formation on my beach walk,” under a photo of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
The video also showed Kim presenting Lukashenko with a large mosaic vase bearing a portrait of the Belarusian, with the North Korean leader appearing to explain that crafting it involved around 30 seashells.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
Comey has responded that this is all so much nonsense, and he was just sharing an image of seashells on the beach.
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
“We will march into the sea and out again. Under the waves we will ride seahorses, and mermaids will blow seashells to announce our coming, oh, oh, oh.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
