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
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
News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
The Falkland Islands exported $27.4 million of goods to the U.S. in 2023, the vast majority of which was non-fillet frozen fish, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
—Dan Mangan,christina Wilkie,erin Doherty,sophie Kiderlin,ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
Some Yellowstone National Park rivers are closed to fishing due to low river flows and warm water temperatures, a federal park spokesperson confirmed on Friday July 18.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fish
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The other seven include milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts and wheat.
—News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
The Falkland Islands exported $27.4 million of goods to the U.S. in 2023, the vast majority of which was non-fillet frozen fish, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
—Dan Mangan,christina Wilkie,erin Doherty,sophie Kiderlin,ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
Dann recounts the story of UConn football players who were fishing in the lake and caught a small-mouth bass.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
Some Yellowstone National Park rivers are closed to fishing due to low river flows and warm water temperatures, a federal park spokesperson confirmed on Friday July 18.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fish
Cite this Entry
“Fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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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