black carp

noun

plural black carp also black carps

: a freshwater cyprinid fish (Mylopharyngodon piceus) of eastern Asia that is brownish-black with a bluish-gray belly and that has been introduced into non-native waters where it is often considered an invasive (see invasive entry 1 sense 1a) species

In addition to the two species of Asian carp that have been in Tennessee waters for several years, some anglers are starting to find a third variety—the black carp. … Anglers who believe they have encountered a black carp should take photographs and contact their local branch of the TWRA [Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency].

—Bryan Brasher

Note: Black carp, along with the related bighead carp, grass carp, and silver carp, are often called Asian carp in the U.S.

Examples of black carp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Invasive carp ‘are clogging U.S. waterways,’ officials say Invasive carp, which includes bighead, silver, black carp and grass carp, are native to East Asia. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025

Originally, black carp was brought to the U.S. to control the snail population because snails host parasites. —Keenan Thomas, The Tennessean, 25 Mar. 2024

Silver carp, bighead carp and black carp are all banned from being moved while alive. —Keenan Thomas, The Tennessean, 25 Mar. 2024

Silver carp, grass carp and bighead carp have been documented in the upper river system for years, and a study earlier this year from the U.S. Geological Survey found that black carp are also naturally reproducing in the river basin. —Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024

There are four species of invasive carp that have been introduced in the U.S – bighead, silver, grass and black carp, with the first three known to exist in Alabama waters. —Leada Gore | [e-mail], al, 13 Sep. 2023

Grass carp munch ecologically valuable wetland plants, and black carp feast on mussels and snails. —John Flesher, Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2021

Four major species of Asian carp are found in Kentucky: grass carp, black carp, silver carp and big head carp. —Ayana Archie, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2021

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Chicago Area Waterway System is a chokepoint to obstruct bighead, silver, and black carp – some of the invasive Asian carp’s most concerning species – from entering the Great Lakes. —Scott McClallen, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for black carp

• endocarp
• pericarp
• harp
• scarp
• tarp