Meaning & use
kelp
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A large brown seaweed that grows in dense underwater forests along cool, rocky coastlines.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the plant material in general; can be countable when referring to types or individual plants.
Patterns
- kelp forest
- harvest kelp
- kelp grows
The divers swam through a thick kelp forest off the California coast.
Kelp provides food and shelter for many marine animals.
Farmers harvest kelp to use as fertilizer and as a source of food.
Common combinations
- kelp forest
- The kelp forest was teeming with fish and sea otters.
- harvest kelp
- Local companies harvest kelp for use in cosmetics.
- giant kelp
- Giant kelp can grow up to half a meter per day under ideal conditions.
- kelp bed
- The shallow kelp bed was visible from the surface.
Synonyms and how they differ
- seaweed
- A general term for any large marine algae; kelp is a specific type of large brown seaweed.
Commonly confused: kelp or help?
kelp vs help
Kelp and help sound somewhat similar but have completely different meanings; help means assistance, while kelp is a plant.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'kelp' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Kelp is a noun for a type of seaweed, so 'The kelp swayed gently in the ocean current' is correct. The other options use 'kelp' as a verb or with an unrelated meaning, which is not standard English.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kelp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.