tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈten-ti-kəl 
1
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by invertebrate animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
2
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
corruption spreading its tentacles
3
: a sensitive hair or emergence on a plant (such as the sundew)
Examples of tentacle in a Sentence
The corporation's tentacles are felt in every sector of the industry.
the tentacles of organized crime
Recent Examples on the Web
Democrats run everything in Maryland, and the party’s tentacles are forever reaching deeper into local communities, making the opinions of the people living in those communities increasingly irrelevant.
—
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
But, to use Bennett's metaphor, most of the octopus's tentacles have indeed been severely weakened if not altogether eliminated.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Despite the industry’s mercurial nature, 2024 proved to be an exceptional year for travel and its far-reaching tentacles.
—Roger Sands, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
And all these years later, the tentacles of the murder on Music Row are still alive.
—Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tentacle 
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Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
But, to use Bennett's metaphor, most of the octopus's tentacles have indeed been severely weakened if not altogether eliminated.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Despite the industry’s mercurial nature, 2024 proved to be an exceptional year for travel and its far-reaching tentacles.
—Roger Sands, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
And all these years later, the tentacles of the murder on Music Row are still alive.
—Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tentacle
Dictionary Entries Near tentacle
Cite this Entry
“Tentacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentacle. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
1
: any of various long flexible structures that stick out usually around the head or mouth of an animal (as a jellyfish or sea anemone) and are used especially for feeling or grasping
2
a
: something that resembles a tentacle especially in or as if in grasping or feeling out
b
: a sensitive hair on a plant
Medical Definition
tentacle
noun
ten·ta·cle
ˈtent-i-kəl
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth
especially
: one of the threadlike processes bearing nematocysts that hang down from the margin of the umbrella of many jellyfishes
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