oyster
/ˈɔɪstər/
noun
- A marine shellfish with a rough, irregular shell, often eaten raw or cooked, and sometimes producing pearls.
- We ordered a dozen fresh oysters at the seafood restaurant.
- She found a small pearl inside the oyster she opened.
- The diver collected oysters from the ocean floor.
- A source of something valuable or desirable, often used in the phrase 'the world is your oyster'.
- With his new skills, the whole city became his oyster.
- After graduating, she felt the world was her oyster.
- For a young artist, the gallery opening was an oyster of opportunity.
- A cut of meat, especially a small, tender piece from the chicken or turkey near the backbone.
- He saved the oyster of the turkey for himself.
- At Thanksgiving, everyone wanted the oyster from the bird.
- The chef served the chicken oyster as a special treat.
verb
- To gather or harvest oysters.
- He learned to oyster from his grandfather.
- They went oystering early in the morning before the tide came in.
- The family has oystered these waters for generations.