Download the app
educalingo
Search
Where do we say that a cell became a blade of grass, which became a starfish, which became a cat, which became a donkey, which became a human being? There's a real lack of evidence from change from actual species to a different type of species.
Michele Bachmann

Meaning of "starfish" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF STARFISH

starfish  [ˈstɑːˌfɪʃ] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF STARFISH

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Starfish is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES STARFISH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

starfish

Starfish

Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars" or "basket stars". About 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from the tropics to frigid polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000 m below the surface. Starfish are marine invertebrates. They typically have a central disc and five arms, though some species have more than this. The aboral or upper surface may be smooth, granular or spiny, and is covered with overlapping plates. Many species are brightly coloured in various shades of red or orange, while others are blue, grey or brown. Starfish have tube feet operated by a hydraulic system and a mouth at the centre of the oral or lower surface. They are opportunistic feeders and are mostly predators on benthic invertebrates. Several species have specialized feeding behaviours including eversion of their stomachs and suspension feeding. They have complex life cycles and can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Definition of starfish in the English dictionary

The definition of starfish in the dictionary is any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, such as Asterias rubens, typically having a flattened body covered with a flexible test and five arms radiating from a central disc.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH STARFISH


blowfish
ˈbləʊˌfɪʃ
bluefish
ˈbluːˌfɪʃ
boarfish
ˈbɔːˌfɪʃ
catfish
ˈkætˌfɪʃ
crawfish
ˈkrɔːˌfɪʃ
crayfish
ˈkreɪˌfɪʃ
dealfish
ˈdiːlˌfɪʃ
garfish
ˈɡɑːˌfɪʃ
goldfish
ˈɡəʊldˌfɪʃ
guitarfish
ɡɪˈtɑːˌfɪʃ
jellyfish
ˈdʒɛlɪˌfɪʃ
jewfish
ˈdʒuːˌfɪʃ
oarfish
ˈɔːˌfɪʃ
sailfish
ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ
sawfish
ˈsɔːˌfɪʃ
scarfish
ˈskɑːˌfɪʃ
shellfish
ˈʃɛlˌfɪʃ
squawfish
ˈskwɔːˌfɪʃ
swordfish
ˈsɔːdˌfɪʃ
whitefish
ˈwaɪtˌfɪʃ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE STARFISH

starchlike
starchy
stardom
stardrift
stardust
stare
stare one in the face
stare out
starer
staretz
starfished
starflower
starfucker
starfucking
stargaze
stargazer
stargazing
staring
staringly
stark

WORDS THAT END LIKE STARFISH

anglerfish
archerfish
big fish
butterfish
dollarfish
drink like a fish
dwarfish
fish
Golden Starfish
oafish
overfish
selfish
serfish
silverfish
spearfish
stockfish
suckerfish
triggerfish
unselfish
viperfish

Synonyms and antonyms of starfish in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «starfish» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF STARFISH

Find out the translation of starfish to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of starfish from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «starfish» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

海星
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

estrellas de mar
570 millions of speakers

English

starfish
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

तारामछली
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

نجم البحر
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

звезды
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

estrela do mar
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

তারামাছ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

étoile de mer
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Bintang laut
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Seestern
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ヒトデ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

불가사리
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Starfish
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

hải tinh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நட்சத்திர மீன்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

स्टारफिश
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

denizyıldızı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

stella di mare
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

rozgwiazda
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

зірки
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

stea de mare
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αστερίες
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

seesterre
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

sjöstjärna
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

sjøstjerner
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of starfish

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «STARFISH»

The term «starfish» is quite widely used and occupies the 25.337 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
89
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «starfish» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of starfish
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «starfish».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «STARFISH» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «starfish» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «starfish» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about starfish

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «STARFISH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word starfish.
1
Michele Bachmann
Where do we say that a cell became a blade of grass, which became a starfish, which became a cat, which became a donkey, which became a human being? There's a real lack of evidence from change from actual species to a different type of species.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «STARFISH»

Discover the use of starfish in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to starfish and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of ...
Includes information on Alcoholics Anonymous, al Qaeda, Amazon, Animal Liberation Front, Apaches, eBay, General Motors, Goodwill Industries, Google, Grokster, Kazaa, music piracy, Napster, P2P (peer to peer) services, Quakers, record ...
Ori Brafman, Rod A. Beckstrom, 2006
2
Piri Piri Starfish
"Tessa Kiros believes that food is the essence of any country's people; a quilt that is patchworked together with their language, culture and songs.
Tessa Kiros, 2008
3
Starfish
Recruited for their experiences with more stressful work environments, the operators of a claustrophobic power generating station three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific encounter unexpected challenges among the cliffs and ...
Peter Watts, 2008
4
Encyclopedia of the Aquatic World: Starfish
Starfish ^t^*J Above: This crown- of-thoms starfish is wandering across the reef top in search of food Crown-of-thoms starfish tend to live in sheltered areas such as lagoons, and in deeper water along reef fronts, but they will venture into more  ...
Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2004
5
Starfish
Introduces the appearance, growth, habits, and behavior of starfish.
Edith Thacher Hurd, 2000
6
Starfish: The Stars of the Sea
Simple rhyming text describes the characteristics and behavior of starfish.
Connie Roop, Carol Schwartz, 2002
7
Sessy the Starfish
A young child's walk along the beach enriches her life through the finding of a starfish, which becomes a real person for a day. Bri's love of the sea ultimately leads her to do what's best for the starfish.
Cecilia Castillo, 2005
8
New Student Starfish
When Patrick wants to come along with SpongeBob to boating school, things go from bad to worse when Patrick goofs off in class and lands them both in detention. Illustrations.
Jenny Miglis, 2003
9
Stephanie the Starfish Fairy
After the shell that Shannon the ocean fairy plays to protect the sea creatures is shattered, Kirsty Tate and Rachel Walker must help Stephanie the starfish fairy recover the fifth piece of the shard being protected by her companion, Spike.
Daisy Meadows, 2011
10
Discovering Starfish
Introduces starfish, discussing their physical characteristics, life cycle, and eating habits.
Lorijo Metz, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «STARFISH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term starfish is used in the context of the following news items.
1
'Must be roasting' Charles jokes with costumed giant lobster and …
PRINCE Charles was in a cheeky mood as he stopped to chat with two people in giant starfish and lobster costumes during a Royal visit to a surfing beach today ... «Express.co.uk, Jul 15»
2
Watch A Starfish Spit A Microchip Out Of Its Leg
Starfish apparently really like their privacy. Two biology students in Denmark learned this the hard way. They'd been given a relatively simple assignment; label ... «Popular Science, Jun 15»
3
New sea star babies offer hope amid mass deaths in Pacific
Only two dozen adult starfish were found in an area where they once were abundant. But Miner's chart also revealed good news — a few baby starfish offered a ... «The Seattle Times, May 15»
4
What's killing millions of starfish on the West Coast?
With millions of starfish dying all along the West Coast, Washington state Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives say it's time for Congress to intervene ... «McClatchy Washington Bureau, Mar 15»
5
Student success company Hobsons acquires Starfish Retention …
Student success company Hobsons on Monday acquired Starfish Retention Solutions, bringing both companies closer to the goal of building college and career ... «Inside Higher Ed, Feb 15»
6
Reef-eating crown-of-thorns starfish spurred on by rising sea …
Rising sea temperatures have been found by scientists to improve the survival rate of the coral-eating crown-of-thorn starfish in findings that are likely to stoke ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 15»
7
Starstruck: Beach littered with stranded starfish not too unusual in …
ISLE OF PALMS — Thousands of big reddish starfish washed up on the beach over the weekend. Children and adults braved icy ankle-deep water to toss them ... «Charleston Post Courier, Feb 15»
8
Thousands of Starfish Wash Ashore In Fripp Island, South Carolina …
According to the Island Packet of Hilton Head, a newspaper in South Carolina, beachgoers started noticing an unusually large amount of dead starfish along ... «The Weather Channel, Dec 14»
9
Scientists to recreate snail scent to scare starfish from Great Barrier …
Crown-of-thorns starfish are one of the greatest natural threats to the Great Barrier Reef, and have destroyed around 40% of coral cover in the last 30 years. «The Guardian, Dec 14»
10
Devastating mass killer of starfish finally identified as virus
Starfish — or “sea stars,” as they're known to scientists who point out they aren't actually fish — don't inspire much excitement. They have no brains. They have ... «Washington Post, Nov 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Starfish [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/starfish>. Apr 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z