bony fish
noun
: any of a major taxon (class Osteichthyes or superclass Teleostomi) comprising fishes (such as sturgeons, eels, mackerels, and sunfish) with a bony rather than a cartilaginous skeleton
called also teleost
compare cartilaginous fish, jawless fishExamples of bony fish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Atlantic cownose rays possess tile-like teeth ideal for crushing crustaceans, mollusks, small invertebrates, and bony fish.
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Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Shortfin makos have been known to hunt small sharks, porpoises, sea turtles, seabirds, bony fish and cephalopods.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Sep. 2024
Perhaps ancestral fishes that could evolve into the bony fishes.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 31 July 2024
The name certainly fits: the giant oarfish is considered the longest bony fish in the world; lengths in the 20- and 30-foot range are not at all unheard of.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bony fish 
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Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Shortfin makos have been known to hunt small sharks, porpoises, sea turtles, seabirds, bony fish and cephalopods.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Sep. 2024
Perhaps ancestral fishes that could evolve into the bony fishes.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 31 July 2024
The name certainly fits: the giant oarfish is considered the longest bony fish in the world; lengths in the 20- and 30-foot range are not at all unheard of.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bony fish
Dictionary Entries Near bony fish
Cite this Entry
“Bony fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bony%20fish. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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