sea cucumber

noun

: any of a class (Holothurioidea) of echinoderms having a tough muscular elongated body with tentacles surrounding the mouth

called also holothurian

Examples of sea cucumber in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

In the surrounding abyss, scientists have found mollusks, snails, worms, sea cucumbers, isopods, starfish and more. — Harry Stevens, New York Times, 3 June 2026 Most aquatic animals swim but some also walk (crabs), jump (like a squirting scallop), and crawl (starfish, sea cucumbers). — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 The fragments absorbed amino acids, which naturally occur in the sea cucumber’s habitat, without the need for a mouth or gut. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 28 May 2026 Scientists hoping to stop the illicit trade of marine wildlife have a new tool to spot seahorses, shark fins and sea cucumbers hidden in luggage. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sea cucumber

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of sea cucumber was in 1841

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

sea crow

sea cucumber

sea cudweed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sea cucumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20cucumber. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sea cucumber

noun

: any of a class of invertebrate sea animals that are echinoderms with a long tough flexible muscular body resembling a cucumber and having tentacles surrounding the mouth at one end

sea cucumber

noun

Illustration of sea cucumber

Examples of sea cucumber in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on sea cucumber

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes