krill

IPA/krɪl/
KK[krˈɪl]IPA/krɪl/

krill — noun

1. tiny sea creatures with shell-like bodies that move in large groups and are an i

1.nounC1
Definition

tiny sea creatures with shell-like bodies that move in large groups and are an important food source for whales and other ocean animals

Example

Blue whales can eat huge amounts of krill during summer feeding season.

common context: krill as whale food

The science team found pink krill under the ice near Antarctica.

habitat: cold southern ocean waters

Common collocations
  • krill swarm
  • krill population
  • eat krill
  • krill oil

Grammar Patterns

eat krill

a swarm of krill

study krill in Antarctic waters

Usage Note

Krill is often used as a group noun for the species, so general statements usually treat it as uncountable. In scientific writing, speakers may also refer to individual krill or krill species more precisely.

Common Mistakes

Many krills were floating near the boat all morning.
A lot of krill was floating near the boat all morning.
In general descriptions, krill is usually treated as an uncountable group noun.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Krill are not the same as shrimp or prawns, even though they look similar at first. Shrimp and prawns are larger sea animals that people often talk about as seafood. Krill are much smaller and are usually mentioned in biology or ocean ecology, especially as food for whales, seals, and penguins. Krill also fit under the broader idea of plankton because they drift in the water, but plankton includes many other tiny plants and animals as well. If you mean the small Antarctic sea animal that feeds larger marine life, krill is the most exact word.

shrimp ↗prawn ↗plankton ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • krill swarm
  • krill population
  • krill oil

Verbs

  • eat krill
  • study krill

Phrases

  • a swarm of krill

Etymology

NorwegianEnglish

English borrowed krill from Norwegian, where it referred to small fry or very small sea life. In modern English, the word names the tiny crustaceans that gather in huge ocean swarms and feed much larger animals.