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Definition of "plankton" [plank•ton]

  • The collection of small or microscopic organisms, including algae and protozoans, that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water, especially at or near the surface, and serve as food for fish and other larger organisms. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "plankton" in a sentence
  • "No one has ever found an adult of these puzzling crustaceans, despite the plethora of these larvae in plankton, leading generations of marine zoologists to wonder just what y - larvae grow up to be."
  • "Studies show dramatic decrease in plankton as planet warms"
  • "This commonly occurs when wind and waves pummel the shoreline; the water movement pushes in plankton that attracts baitfish and, consequently, bass."