as in girlfriends
a female romantic companion
every Jack must have his Gill
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1
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
a narrow gill in the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in creeks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
a narrow but surprisingly deep gill runs the length of the rocky gorge
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Recent Examples of gills
Quanta Magazine, 27 Oct. 2025
The San Gabriel Valley—SGV—is an enclave for Asian immigrants in Los Angeles County, an area packed to the gills with incredible food (this guide is a great place to start).
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Rhincodon typus, to use their scientific name, eat their ample fill by ram filter-feeding, vacuuming up gallons of water to strain out small prey before the water exits their gills.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 Oct. 2025
Also in the Tuamotus, on the atoll of Tikehau, divers head out to Tuheiava Pass with Tikehau Diving for regular sightings of mantas at a cleaning station (pinnacles that draw large fish to have their gills, teeth, and carapaces cleaned by smaller ones).
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
The silhouette takes cues from the fluidity of a jellyfish, with an exaggerated midsole meant to echo floating gills.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 20 Aug. 2025
The other parasites included microscopic dinoflagellates and other flatworms that are known to infect fish gills, skin, or fins.
—Laura Baisas Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The gills are white at first, becoming greenish-gray.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
One of my favorites is the tongue louse, which usually comes in through the gills of the host fish (something like a red snapper), eats the tongue, and then takes its place.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
Even though structures such as gills are tucked away inside animals’ bodies, their surfaces are actually external from a topological perspective, said Karl Niklas, an emeritus professor of biomechanics at Cornell University.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Oct. 2025
The San Gabriel Valley—SGV—is an enclave for Asian immigrants in Los Angeles County, an area packed to the gills with incredible food (this guide is a great place to start).
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Rhincodon typus, to use their scientific name, eat their ample fill by ram filter-feeding, vacuuming up gallons of water to strain out small prey before the water exits their gills.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 Oct. 2025
Also in the Tuamotus, on the atoll of Tikehau, divers head out to Tuheiava Pass with Tikehau Diving for regular sightings of mantas at a cleaning station (pinnacles that draw large fish to have their gills, teeth, and carapaces cleaned by smaller ones).
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
The silhouette takes cues from the fluidity of a jellyfish, with an exaggerated midsole meant to echo floating gills.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 20 Aug. 2025
The other parasites included microscopic dinoflagellates and other flatworms that are known to infect fish gills, skin, or fins.
—Laura Baisas Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The gills are white at first, becoming greenish-gray.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
One of my favorites is the tongue louse, which usually comes in through the gills of the host fish (something like a red snapper), eats the tongue, and then takes its place.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gills. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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