smallmouth bass

noun

small·​mouth bass ˈsmȯl-ˌmau̇th- 

: a black bass (Micropterus dolomieu) of clear rivers and lakes that is bronzy-green above and lighter below and has the vertex of the angle of the jaw falling below the eye

called also smallmouth, smallmouth black bass

Illustration of smallmouth bass

Examples of smallmouth bass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After implementation in 2024, NPS fisheries managers surveying the Grand Canyon were unable to find any smallmouth bass spawning in the 76-mile stretch between Glen Canyon Dam and the confluence with the Little Colorado. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2025

But none are as widely distributed as largemouth and smallmouth bass. —Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025

Fish native to the Jackson River (which feeds into the dam) like smallmouth bass, rock bass, and chain pickerel can also be caught in the lake. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025

When the lake warms, smallmouth bass swim toward shallower water to spawn. —Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smallmouth bass

• candlemas
• fiberglass
• fibreglass
• hourglass
• isinglass
• lemongrass
• martinmas
• orchardgrass
• overpass
• plexiglas
• plexiglass
• sassafras

Kids Definition

smallmouth bass

noun

small·​mouth bass ˌsmȯl-ˌmau̇th- 

: a black bass that lives in clear rivers and lakes and is bronze green above and lighter below

called also smallmouth black bass