Jump to:

• squid
  squid

  noun

  any of several ten-armed cephalopods, as of the genera Loligo and Ommastrephes, having a slender body and a pair of rounded or triangular caudal fins and varying in length from 4–6 inches (10–15 centimeters) to 60–80 feet (18–24 meters).
• SQUID
  SQUID

  noun

  superconducting quantum interference device: a device that senses minute changes in magnetic fields, used to indicate neural activity in the brain.

squid

¹ American  

[skwid] / skwɪd /

noun

squids plural

1. any of several ten-armed cephalopods, as of the genera Loligo and Ommastrephes, having a slender body and a pair of rounded or triangular caudal fins and varying in length from 4–6 inches (10–15 centimeters) to 60–80 feet (18–24 meters).

---

SQUID ² American  

[skwid] / skwɪd /

noun

1. superconducting quantum interference device: a device that senses minute changes in magnetic fields, used to indicate neural activity in the brain.

---

squid ¹ British  

/ skwɪd /

noun

1. any of various fast-moving pelagic cephalopod molluscs of the genera Loligo, Ommastrephes , etc, of most seas, having a torpedo-shaped body ranging from about 10 centimetres to 16.5 metres long and a pair of triangular tail fins: order Decapoda (decapods) See also cuttlefish

---

verb

1. (intr) (of a parachute) to assume an elongated squidlike shape owing to excess air pressure

SQUID ² British  

abbreviation

1. superconducting quantum interference device

---

squid ³ British  

/ skwɪd /

noun

1. slang a pound sterling

---

Etymology

Origin of squid¹

First recorded in 1605–15; origin uncertain

Origin of SQUID²

First recorded in 1965–70

Explanation

A squid is a sea creature that's similar to an octopus but has ten arms instead of eight—including two extra tentacles they use for grabbing their prey. The largest squid ever found was nearly 60 feet long! Like their octopus relatives, squid are cephalopods, or mollusks with prominent heads and many arms. Squid can swim extremely fast by sucking in water and propelling it out (just like jet propulsion), and their skin can change color so they blend in with their surroundings. Squid squirt a kind of dark ink to confuse predators; some language experts believe that squid was once sailors' slang for squirt.

Example Sentences

"This is the first record of a giant squid detected off Western Australia's coast using eDNA protocols and the northernmost record of A. dux in the eastern Indian Ocean," Dr. Kirkendale said.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

Others have taken to fishing over the side of their tankers, catching tuna, squid and largehead hairtail to cook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

One particularly important species was the rare ram's horn squid, Spirula spirula.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

As for animal metaphors, the squid has been joined by the cockroach.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

He thought of the legends Papa and the men used to tell, about giant squid and whales that swallowed ships.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis