minnow

noun

min·​now ˈmi-(ˌ)nō 

plural minnows also minnow

1

a

: a small cyprinid, killifish, or topminnow

b

: any of various small fish that are less than a designated size and are not game fish

2

: a live or artificial minnow used as bait

Examples of minnow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But some of their most common prey items include minnows, crayfish, insects, and amphibians. —Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025

Coming up against them were Serie A minnows Empoli, a side who had lost their last four league games including a 4-1 defeat to Juve earlier this month. —Adam Digby, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

No Liverpool player has recorded those numbers in a match since Philippe Coutinho in a 7-0 rout of Slovenian minnows Maribor in the Champions League in 2017. —James Pearce, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025

But were these fish actually Maluti redfin minnows? —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English menawe; akin to Old English myne minnow, Old High German munewa, a kind of fish

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

minnow

noun

min·​now ˈmin-ō 

plural minnows also minnow

: any of various small freshwater fishes (as a dace or shiner) related to the carps

also : any of various small fishes that resemble minnows