fisher

noun

fish·​er ˈfi-shər 

plural fishers

1

: someone or something that fishes

Whether buying at a restaurant, grocery store or directly from the fisher, asking for wild Alaska salmon means supporting the men and women who pulled a wild fish from the sea …

—Berett Wilber

All around us, fishers galumphed past in everything from chest-high rubber waders to blue jeans and baseball caps.

—Stephen C. Sautner

Commercial fishers rarely catch the type of fish they seek without catching other, non-targeted fish.

—Greenpeace

Great blue herons are waders. … Their patience and ability to stand absolutely still for long periods of time make them excellent fishers.

—Brian C. Salt

2

a

or less commonly fisher cat plural fisher cats : a dark brown North American carnivorous mammal (Pekania pennanti synonym Martes pennanti) of the weasel family that has a pointy snout, small rounded ears, and a bushy tail

A carnivorous and curious fellow, the fisher was once a thriving dweller in old-growth West Coast forests …

—Maria Beloborodova

He said the nocturnal fisher, often called the fisher cat because of its tom cat snarl that can raise the hackles on the back of your neck, was in his yard during the day.

—Frank Sousa

b

: the fur or pelt of this animal

A full-length fisher coat can retail for $7,000.

—Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Synonyms

• fisherman

Examples of fisher in a Sentence

few fishers of lake trout are more ardent or adept than my father

Recent Examples on the Web

Madeline Heim Anthony Larson describes himself as a hard-core ice fisher. —Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024

Ice fishers have turned instead to inland lakes, which are small enough to have frozen over in relatively mild temperatures and are easy to get to because there’s little snow on the ground. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024

This Whitehall mailbox features a separate lockable compartment to keep letters safe from mail fishers. —Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024

The refuge is popular with hunters, fishers, paddlers and wildlife photographers. —Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024

No fishers would have been looking to set sail that day, though, as the water was completely frozen over, with boats great and small trapped in the ice. —Tim Brinkhof, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024

Ice fishers warned to beware thin ice Officials are reminding fishers this year to use extra precautions to avoid personal danger and costly equipment losses. —USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024

The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, developed in 1997, requires fishers to use weak links, with a maximum breaking strength of 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms), to connect lobster and crab pots to buoys on the surface. —Joshua Reed, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2024

That mass die-off forced the state to cancel its snow crab season in both 2022 and 2023, which affected local fishers and communities that rely on the crustaceans for income. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fischer, fischare, going back to Old English fiscere, from fisc fish entry 1 + -ere -er entry 2; (sense 2) perhaps by folk etymology from fitchew

Note: The derivative was perhaps already formed in West Germanic—compare Old Frisian fisker, fiskere, Old Saxon & Old High German fiskari, Middle Dutch visscher.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fisher

• fisher cat

Kids Definition

fisher

noun

fish·​er ˈfish-ər 

1

: one that fishes

2

: a dark brown North American flesh-eating mammal related to the weasels

also : its valuable fur or pelt

Biographical Definition

Fisher 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

Fish·​er ˈfi-shər 

Dorothy 1879–1958 Dorothea Frances née Canfield ˈkan-ˌfēld  American novelist

Fisher

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Irving 1867–1947 American economist

Fisher

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

John Arbuthnot 1841–1920 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone ˈkil-vər-stən  British admiral

Fisher

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Mary Frances Kennedy 1908–1992 American writer