tentacle

/ˈtentəkl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtentəkl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈten-ti-kəl/ (ame, mw)

tentacle — noun

  • tentaclesingular
  • tentaclesplural

1. a long, thin body part that grows from the head or mouth area of some sea creatu

1.名詞B1
釋義

a long, thin body part that grows from the head or mouth area of some sea creatures, used to feel, grab food, move, or hold onto objects

例句

The octopus curled one of its tentacles around the diver's wrist and held on tightly.

subject + curled + tentacle(s) + around + object

Naoko watched a squid shoot past, its long tentacles trailing behind in the dark water.

同義詞
  • arm

    often used interchangeably in everyday speech, though scientists distinguish arms from tentacles based on sucker placement

  • feeler

    informal, also used for insect antennae; less precise than tentacle

  • appendage

    more general and formal; covers any limb-like part of an animal

文法句型

the tentacle(s) + of + sea creature

possessive + tentacle(s)

用法筆記

Often used in the plural form (tentacles) because most tentacled animals have more than one. Common verbs include curl, wrap, reach, extend, and brush.

常見錯誤

❌The squid grabbed the fish with its legs.
✅The squid grabbed the fish with its tentacles.
💡Sea creatures that have tentacles do not have 'legs'; tentacle is the correct anatomical term.
❌The octopus has eight tentacles' (when referring to the arms of an octopus).
✅The octopus has eight arms and two tentacles.
💡Marine biologists distinguish arms (suckers along the whole length) from tentacles (suckers only at the tip); in everyday English, tentacle is widely used for both.

2. the far-reaching and unwanted influence of a powerful organization, system, or n

2.名詞C1
釋義

the far-reaching and unwanted influence of a powerful organization, system, or network, which is difficult to escape or resist

例句

The media company's tentacles spread across television, newspapers, and online news sites.

possessive + tentacles + spread across [plural domains]

Adaeze tried to leave the organization, but its tentacles already controlled her daily life.

同義詞
  • influence

    neutral word; does not carry the grasping or threatening connotation of tentacle

  • reach

    suggests scope and range but not the sense of being trapped or controlled

  • grip

    stronger and more forceful, but less common for abstract organizational power

  • hold

    general term for control; softer and less vivid than tentacle

反義詞
  • independence

    the opposite of being controlled by an outside force

  • freedom

    the state of being free from unwanted influence

文法句型

the tentacles of + organization/system

possessive + tentacles + reach/spread/extend into

用法筆記

Almost always used in the plural form tentacles, even when the subject is singular. The subject is typically a large bureaucracy, corporation, cartel, or invasive system. Common in political and investigative journalism.

常見錯誤

❌The company's tentacle reached the city.
✅The company's tentacles reached the city.
💡The figurative sense is nearly always plural.