Slangora

limpet

Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.

ˈlɪm.pɪtCurrent124 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
3 definitions
Community
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.

He stuck to me like a limpet all day!
Origin: From , from , borrowed from , alteration of , whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō + petra. , which came through. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Was this helpful?

Comments

UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK

(British) Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.

He stuck to me like a limpet all day!
Heard in the wild
  • “quick-limpet.pikapod.net/s/b6XbnqqwDT...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Nothing says respect like a limpet mine.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Now a Sabotage jacket would be much more useful. Some cable snippers, iron filings, etc. to bring into Palantir days center. Maybe not the limpet mines from this anti-apartheid nuclear plant story www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?

Comments

Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

To gather limpets.

For parents

"limpet" means: To gather limpets.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"limpet" means: To gather limpets.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Was this helpful?

Comments

Used in

UK

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "limpet".

Add definition

🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "limpet" (L)

Browse all slang words starting with L.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related