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

The exact locations of the sites were picked by local fishers, who made the determination based on the location of the tow lanes that access the port, depth conditions, strength of the waves and whether the local community would be supportive, Hales said. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024

Sharks, rays, and chimaeras also underpin the food security of vulnerable coastal communities, with fishers in some developing nations reporting that over 80% of their income depends on shark and ray fisheries. —Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Over the next 16 years, without easing the threat of direct action, the tribes worked with environmentalists, irrigators, commercial fishers, state and federal governments, and PacifiCorp itself to help the utility company do just that. —Jeff Moag, Outside Online, 3 Dec. 2024

Starting in Barbuda in 2013, Johnson focused on engaging with the community, interviewing hundreds of fishers and residents to develop policy recommendations for better preserving the waters and the species within it. —Sam Delgado, Vox, 21 Nov. 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

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