"abalone" means an edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
abalone
(North America, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore) An edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
My #BookReview of Abalone, a #Psychological #Drama by J.G. MacLeod. Abalone is an intense read that sheds light on the horror of domestic violence. You'll fall for Liz and hope beyond all hope that she finds her silve…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Back when abalone season was open in CA I saw a wolf eel like this. It’s was greyed out like this one, but maybe not as long as 8’. Regardless, I about pooped my wetsuit when I first saw it, but ended up following it…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Sterling silver and natural abalone. Shimmering, subtle, beautiful. Order yours: duille.com/abalonejewel
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Firecrawl: Abalone - Wikipedia
[Jump to content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone#bodyContent) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Common name for a group of sea snails For other uses, see [Abalone (disambiguation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/…
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Firecrawl: Abalone - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abalone have unique features: the shell is round, with two to three spirals.
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Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(North America, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore) An edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.
After he had brought it close to the canoe, he looked down and saw that it was a great live abalone caught in the flesh. Its color shone out of the water. As it ascended it was so big that all the canoes seemed to come inside of it, and …
Origin: From American , from an indigenous language of the Monterey Bay area such as Rumsen/ thumb|right| (). Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"abalone" means an edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
For ESL learners
"abalone" is informal English meaning an edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl. It is mainly heard in Australian or New Zealand English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "an edible univalve mollusc of the genus " expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "abalone" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
Heard in the wild
“Back when abalone season was open in CA I saw a wolf eel like this. It’s was greyed out like this one, but maybe not as long as 8’. Regardless, I about pooped my wetsuit when I first saw it, but ended up following it forever out of mesmerization. Beautiful”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Sterling silver and natural abalone. Shimmering, subtle, beautiful. Order yours: duille.com/abalonejewel”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(North America, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore) The meat of the aforementioned mollusc.
After he had brought it close to the canoe, he looked down and saw that it was a great live abalone caught in the flesh. Its color shone out of the water. As it ascended it was so big that all the canoes seemed to come inside of it, and …
Heard in the wild
“My #BookReview of Abalone, a #Psychological #Drama by J.G. MacLeod. Abalone is an intense read that sheds light on the horror of domestic violence. You'll fall for Liz and hope beyond all hope that she finds her silver lining. #IndieReads bit.ly/3K9UxUJ”
— Bluesky· May 2026“[Jump to content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone#bodyContent) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Common name for a group of sea snails For other uses, see [Abalone (disambiguation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone_(disambiguation) "Abalone (disambiguation)").”
“Abalone have unique features: the shell is round, with two to three spirals.”
“02. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone_(board_game)#cite_ref-2 "Jump up")**["How Abalone Works"](https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/leisure/brain-games/abalone.htm). _HowStuffWorks_.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Australia
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
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Other words near "abalone" (A)
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Semantically related
- muttonfish67%
(Australia) Any of several edible molluscs of the genus ; an abalone.
- paua67%
(NZ) Any of several large, edible abalones of New Zealand, especially , whose shell is used to make jewelry.
- pawa65%
(New Zealand) An edible univalve mollusc of the genus , having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.
- perlemoen62%
(South Africa) abalone.