1
: a marine bivalve mollusk (especially genus Mytilus) usually having a dark elongated shell
2
: a freshwater bivalve mollusk (as of Unio, Anodonta, or related genera) that is especially abundant in rivers of the central U.S. and has a shell lined with mother-of-pearl
Examples of mussel in a Sentence
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For his biology class, traditional on-campus students headed to a lake to hunt for mussels.
—
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Discard any mussels that did not open.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Zebra mussels can completely clog water intake structures and affect public water supplies, power generation and many other industries.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
Boiled potatoes, cooked shrimp, beef, chicken, sausage, mussels and noodles were held at improper holding temperatures, another repeat violation.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mussel
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Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Discard any mussels that did not open.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Zebra mussels can completely clog water intake structures and affect public water supplies, power generation and many other industries.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
Boiled potatoes, cooked shrimp, beef, chicken, sausage, mussels and noodles were held at improper holding temperatures, another repeat violation.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mussel
Cite this Entry
“Mussel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mussel. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mussel
noun
mus·sel
ˈməs-əl 
1
: any of various edible saltwater mollusks with a long dark hinged double shell
2
: any of numerous freshwater mollusks of rivers of the central U.S. whose hinged double shells are lined with mother-of-pearl
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