Illustration of barnacle
- 1 peduncle
- 2 cirri
barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
ˈbär-ni-kəl 
1
2
[from a popular belief that the goose grew from the crustacean]
: any of numerous marine crustaceans (subclass Cirripedia) with feathery appendages for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but permanently fixed (as to rocks, boat hulls, or whales) as adults
Examples of barnacle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Rikers, a thicket of laws and lore, regulations and culture bind and barnacle decision-making.
—
Elizabeth Glazer, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
An urbane middle-aged couple was summoned to the bar for prime seats just as the man was pulling up a BBC video about barnacle geese, a species that nests on high cliffs and whose flightless newborns fling themselves hundreds of feet to reunite with their grazing parents.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
Some creatures, like barnacles, can survive on a seawall.
—Molly Duerig, Miami Herald, 28 June 2025
The worms have been known to take on roommates such as barnacles and sponges and other small ocean creatures.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barnacle
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Elizabeth Glazer, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
An urbane middle-aged couple was summoned to the bar for prime seats just as the man was pulling up a BBC video about barnacle geese, a species that nests on high cliffs and whose flightless newborns fling themselves hundreds of feet to reunite with their grazing parents.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
Some creatures, like barnacles, can survive on a seawall.
—Molly Duerig, Miami Herald, 28 June 2025
The worms have been known to take on roommates such as barnacles and sponges and other small ocean creatures.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barnacle
Cite this Entry
“Barnacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barnacle. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
ˈbär-ni-kəl
: any of numerous small saltwater crustaceans with feathery outgrowths for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but as adults are permanently fastened (as to rocks or the bottoms of ships)
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