steelhead

noun

steel·​head ˈstēl-ˌhed How to pronounce steelhead (audio)
plural steelhead also steelheads
: an anadromous rainbow trout

called also steelhead trout

Examples of steelhead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some officials and environmentalists objected that the new rules would increase the chances that salmon, smelt and steelhead would go extinct, according to Cal Matters. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025 The number of salmon and steelhead returning to the Columbia River Basin to spawn remained flat over the last decade at an average of 2.3 million — above the dismal counts in the 1990s, but still below official goals of roughly 5 million fish. Axios Portland, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024 The fires have been lousy for wildlife as well as humans: Biologists were forced to rescue hundreds of endangered steelhead trout from the Santa Monica Mountains, before a storm arrived to bury them in a post-fire slurry of mud. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2025 Agricultural industry leaders in the San Joaquin Valley often blame insufficient supplies on environmental regulations that prioritize habitat protections for endangered species like the delta smelt, salmon, steelhead trout and sturgeon — especially during drought. Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for steelhead

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of steelhead was circa 1882

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Cite this Entry

“Steelhead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steelhead. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

steelhead

noun
steel·​head ˈstē(ə)l-ˌhed How to pronounce steelhead (audio)
plural steelhead also steelheads
: a rainbow trout that migrates to the sea to mature and returns to rivers to breed

called also steelhead trout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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