Illustration of limpet
- limpet 1
1
: a marine gastropod mollusk (especially families Acmaeidae and Patellidae) that has a low conical shell broadly open beneath, browses over rocks or timbers in the littoral area, and clings very tightly when disturbed
2
: one that clings tenaciously to someone or something
3
: an explosive device designed to cling magnetically to a metallic surface (such as the hull of a ship)
Examples of limpet in a Sentence
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Amazon $87 Walmart $90 Anker This magnetically sticks to your iPhone like a battery limpet and charges it up wirelessly nice and quick.
—
Parker Hall, Wired News, 11 July 2025
Four other mysterious limpet mine attacks hit vessels that had called at Russian ports this year.
—Brendan Cole
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
In June 2019, it was accused of attacking two oil tankers with limpet mines.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Iran would also consider an effort to shut down the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers using a naval blockade, sea mines, limpet mines deployed by fast boats, or some combination thereof.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2025
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Parker Hall, Wired News, 11 July 2025
Four other mysterious limpet mine attacks hit vessels that had called at Russian ports this year.
—Brendan Cole
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
In June 2019, it was accused of attacking two oil tankers with limpet mines.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Iran would also consider an effort to shut down the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers using a naval blockade, sea mines, limpet mines deployed by fast boats, or some combination thereof.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for limpet
Cite this Entry
“Limpet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/limpet. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
limpet
noun
lim·pet
ˈlim-pət 
: a marine mollusk that has a low cone-shaped shell, moves over rocks or timbers feeding on food found there, and clings very tightly when disturbed
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