soft-shell
Americanadjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of soft-shell
First recorded in 1795–1805
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.
Her husband’s Taco Bell order used to include three soft-shell tacos, a large soda, a Mexican pizza and a Doritos Locos taco.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
A couple models are sufficiently protective that the wearers don’t have to practice with Guardian Caps, the soft-shell covers that fit over standard helmets to provide additional cushion and protection.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2024
Instead of trying to pick a steamed or boiled green crab, they're better eaten in soft-shell form or used to make flavorful stocks, sauces and butters.
From Salon • Jul. 20, 2023
A good example, she said, was the soft-shell clam fishery, which has suffered millions of dollars in losses.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 27, 2022
Grandfather used to bring me to Barrett’s to buy soft-shell almonds and figs from the big barrel.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
