plural bonitos or bonito
1
: any of several swift-swimming scombroid fishes (genus Sarda) that are typically dark blue to bluish-green with dark stripes and a silvery belly, that are intermediate in size between the related mackerel and tuna, and that are valued as food and sport fishes
… the Atlantic bonito not only strikes hard …, the fish is also excellent table fare. Star-News (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Pacific bonito are related to tuna and can grow to 20 pounds. Allen Bushnell
also : a closely related fish (such as a dogtooth tuna or little tunny)
2
: skipjack tuna
For tuna—bluefin … and bonito—the fishermen … would drag a net between two boats … Mark Kurlansky
My mother adopted the habit of offering as a condiment dried bonito flakes … Corby Kummer

Examples of bonito in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His crispy jeon, a savory seafood pancake, is shot through with strands of scallions, topped with creamy aioli and a generous shaving of bonito flakes that dances as the plate approaches your table. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2024 For the curry butter: Reduce the shallot, whey, crab butter, and bonito over low heat to a volume of 150g. Place in the Vitamix with the curry spice and blend on high. Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 21 May 2024 Then add the kombu, bonito, and shiitake mushroom, turkey carcass, and water. Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 26 Nov. 2024 Miller established the Sao Paolo Athletic Club and organized the country’s first football league—a decidedly posh affair in its early years, long before the jogo bonito would become synonymous with Brazil and the inspirational power of a poor man’s game. Andrés Martinez, TIME, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bonito 

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from bonito pretty, diminutive of bueno good, from Latin bonus

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bonito was in 1541

Dictionary Entries Near bonito

Cite this Entry

“Bonito.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonito. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

bonito

noun
plural bonitos or bonito
: any of various medium-sized tunas

More from Merriam-Webster on bonito

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