hagfish
noun
hag·fish
ˈhag-ˌfish 
: any of a family (Myxinidae) of marine cyclostomes that are related to the lampreys and in general resemble eels but have a round mouth surrounded by barbels and that feed upon other fishes and invertebrates by boring into their bodies
Examples of hagfish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Right away, our eyes landed on Lohan’s bag — the $4,850 Fendi Spy Small handbag in luxurious burgundy hagfish leather, to be exact.
—
Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
First come the scavengers — sharks, crabs, hagfish — which tear into the soft tissue.
—Sruthi Gurudev Jules Jacobs, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
These tiny marine invertebrates were less than an inch long and may be distantly related to living hagfish.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024
Whale falls provide nourishment and even habitat for a wide range of creatures—from scavenging hagfish and sleeper sharks to microbes, mussels, clams, worms, nematodes, crabs and members of the jellyfish family.
—Douglas Main, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2024
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Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
First come the scavengers — sharks, crabs, hagfish — which tear into the soft tissue.
—Sruthi Gurudev Jules Jacobs, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
These tiny marine invertebrates were less than an inch long and may be distantly related to living hagfish.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024
Whale falls provide nourishment and even habitat for a wide range of creatures—from scavenging hagfish and sleeper sharks to microbes, mussels, clams, worms, nematodes, crabs and members of the jellyfish family.
—Douglas Main, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for hagfish
Cite this Entry
“Hagfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hagfish. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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