archerfish

noun

ar·​cher·​fish ˈär-chər-ˌfish How to pronounce archerfish (audio)
: any of several small chiefly Asian bony fishes (genus Toxotes and especially T. ejaculator of the family Toxotidae) that catch insects by stunning them with water ejected from their mouths

Examples of archerfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Still, the findings seem to indicate that an archerfish might recognize the person who incessantly taps on its aquarium wall. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2016 The Shedd Aquarium houses a remarkable creature called an archerfish that spits water 3 feet into the air to knock insects off trees into the water for dinner. Sheryl Devore, chicagotribune.com, 10 Jan. 2022 The scientists concluded that archerfish can assume the viewpoint of another archerfish to learn a difficult skill from a distance. Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 An archerfish can squirt water in a single shot or in a machine gun–like fusillade. Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 Using water as a projectile is only one of many foraging options for the archerfish. Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 Crazy archerfish that spray bugs off leaves to eat. Erica Boniface, The Know, 4 Jan. 2017 Complex, context-dependent decision strategies of archerfish, Toxotes chatareus. Mary Bates, WIRED, 19 Nov. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of archerfish was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near archerfish

Cite this Entry

“Archerfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archerfish. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

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