Illustration of fish
- 1 mandible
- 2 nasal opening
- 3 eye
- 4 cheek
- 5 operculum
- 6 dorsal fins
- 7 lateral line
- 8 caudal fin
- 9 scales
- 10 anal fin
- 11 anus
- 12 pectoral fin
- 13 pelvic fin
- 14 maxilla
- 15 premaxilla
- 16 upper jaw
plural fish or fishes
often attributive
1
a
: an aquatic animal
—usually used in combination
starfish
cuttlefish
b
: any of numerous cold-blooded strictly aquatic craniate vertebrates that include the bony fishes and usually the cartilaginous and jawless fishes and that have typically an elongated somewhat spindle-shaped body terminating in a broad caudal (see caudal sense 2) fin, limbs in the form of fins when present at all, and a 2-chambered heart by which blood is sent through thoracic gills to be oxygenated
freshwater fish
tropical fish
2
: the flesh of fish used as food
We're having fish for dinner.
3
a
: a person who is caught or is wanted (as in a criminal investigation)
c
: sucker sense 5a
felt sorry for the poor fish
4
: something that resembles a fish: such as
a
b
: torpedo sense 1b
The submarine's fish hit the freighter.
fished; fishing; fishes
1
: to attempt to catch fish
2
: to seek something by roundabout means
fishing for a compliment
3
a
: to search for something underwater
fish for pearls
b
: to engage in a search by groping or feeling
fishing around in her purse for her keys
1
a
: to try to catch fish in
b
: to fish with : use (something, such as a boat, a net, or bait) in fishing
2
a
: to go fishing for
fish salmon
b
: to pull or draw as if fishing
fished the ball from under the car
fish wires through a conduit
Synonyms
Examples of fish in a Sentence
Noun
We're having fish for dinner.
he's rather an odd fish
Verb
We spent the afternoon fishing for trout.
They fished the stream all morning.
She was fishing around in her purse for her keys.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Fry fillets, in batches, in butter mixture 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
And that felt very much like us, trying to figure out how to tell the story, grabbing at an invisible fish at a certain point when trying to understand where we’d been led.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The losses of fish are estimated based on how many fish are collected at a state facility near the pumps and trucked to nearby areas of the delta, where they are released.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Anglers looking to see numbers of fish should fish oceanside.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024
Read More: The Minds of Ancient Fish May Explain the Evolution of Tetrapods
What Were the Tusks for?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
April’s full moon is also called the sprouting grass moon, egg moon, fish moon and other names, according to NASA.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2024
Some of the fish will escape through the valve into Sharon Creek.
—The Enquirer, 23 Apr. 2024
Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
According to Durante, age is important for the general conservation and management of a species, whether or not it is commercially fished.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
For instance, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has fished on Lake Superior for thousands of years.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Main, of Ellwood City, was fishing off Presque Isle on Lake Erie when the perch hit his jig, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
Chicken, gyro lamb and shrimp or fish over rice
Wraps and sandwiches.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
There are some rules, however, about fishing the waters around the Sunshine State.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
This angler is usually fishing still or slow water.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 4 Apr. 2024
Pond hopping, a method of fishing multiple ponds throughout a day, has become extremely popular over the last decade.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Swim, canoe, and fish in its crystal-clear waters and explore the area's caves (more than 300 have been discovered so far, some only accessible by boat), trails, natural springs, and historic mills.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Fry fillets, in batches, in butter mixture 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
And that felt very much like us, trying to figure out how to tell the story, grabbing at an invisible fish at a certain point when trying to understand where we’d been led.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The losses of fish are estimated based on how many fish are collected at a state facility near the pumps and trucked to nearby areas of the delta, where they are released.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Anglers looking to see numbers of fish should fish oceanside.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024
Read More: The Minds of Ancient Fish May Explain the Evolution of Tetrapods
What Were the Tusks for?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
April’s full moon is also called the sprouting grass moon, egg moon, fish moon and other names, according to NASA.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2024
Some of the fish will escape through the valve into Sharon Creek.
—The Enquirer, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
Fishermen The same week as Dungeness crab season is cut short to protect whales, federal regulators ban all salmon fishing off California for the second year in a row due to low numbers following the state’s recent drought.
—Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
According to Durante, age is important for the general conservation and management of a species, whether or not it is commercially fished.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
For instance, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has fished on Lake Superior for thousands of years.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Main, of Ellwood City, was fishing off Presque Isle on Lake Erie when the perch hit his jig, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
Chicken, gyro lamb and shrimp or fish over rice
Wraps and sandwiches.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
There are some rules, however, about fishing the waters around the Sunshine State.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
This angler is usually fishing still or slow water.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 4 Apr. 2024
Pond hopping, a method of fishing multiple ponds throughout a day, has become extremely popular over the last decade.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fish
Cite this Entry
“Fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fish
1 of 2 noun
plural fish or fishes
1
a
: a water-dwelling animal
—usually used in combination
starfish
cuttlefish
b
: a cold-blooded vertebrate animal with a typically long scaly tapering body, limbs developed as fins, and a vertical tail fin that lives and breathes in water
2
: the flesh of fish used as food
fish
2 of 2 verb1
: to catch or try to catch fish
2
a
: to catch or try to catch fish in
fish the stream
b
: to search for something underwater
fishing for pearls
3
: to seek something by or as if by groping or feeling
fished for compliments
fished in his pocket for change
Biographical Definition
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