English Dictionary

octopus

/ˈɒktəpʊs/

verb

To put (or attempt to put) one's fingers, hands or arms in many things or places at roughly the same time. / To spread out in long arms or legs in many directions.

She tried to octopus her fingers into the small jar.

意味（1）

To put (or attempt to put) one's fingers, hands or arms in many things or places at roughly the same time.

He rises up on his wasted legs, the healer's hands octopussed on his head.

意味（2）

To spread out in long arms or legs in many directions.

The bug-eyed press octopussed to their respective word processors.

意味（3）

To plug a large number of devices into a single electric outlet.

If they're all for a single indoor tree, caution against octopusing of cords from other cords, and the use of a number of cords in a single receptacle.

意味（4）

(by extension) To grow in use vastly beyond what was originally intended.

The interlocking business organizations have octopussed beyond all imagining in recent years; they are intermingled with citizens' union-smashing committees and women's strikebreaking “patriotic” groups, such as Neutral Thousands and Women of the Pacific.

意味（5）

To hunt and catch octopuses.

The sport could be called octopusing or octopus hunting— and any number may play. Supposing you catch an octopus, what do you have?

意味（6）

To behave like an octopus.

Night fell especially dark and cold for August, inky blackness tendrilling in, octopussing even the street lamps, now dim with vague form.