Word forms: plural fish, plural fishes, 3rd person singular presenttense fishes, present participle fishing, past tense, past participle fishedlanguage note: The form fish is usually used for the plural, but fishes can also be used.
1. countable noun
A fish is a creature that lives in water and has a tail and fins. There are many different kinds of fish.
I was chatting to an islander who had just caught a fish.
The fish were counted and an average weight recorded.
2. uncountable noun
Fish is the flesh of a fish eaten as food.
Does dry white wine go best with fish?
3. verb
If you fish, you try to catch fish, either for food or as a form of sport or recreation.
Brian remembers learning to fish in the River Cam. [VERB]
Synonyms: angle, net, cast, trawl More Synonyms of fish
4. verb
If you fish a particular area of water, you try to catch fish in it.
On Saturday we fished the River Arno. [VERB noun]
5. verb
If you say that someone is fishingfor information or praise, you disapprove of the fact that they are trying to get it from someone in an indirect way.
[disapproval]
He didn't want to create the impression that he was fishing for information. [VERB + for]
'Lucinda, you don't have to talk to him!' Mike shouted. 'He's just fishing.' [VERB]
6. See also fishing
7.
See like a fish out of water
8.
See there are plenty more fish in the sea
Phrasal verbs:
See fish out
More Synonyms of fish
fish in British English
(fɪʃ)
nounWord forms: pluralfish or fishes
1.
a.
any of a large group of cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates having jaws, gills, and usually fins and a skin covered in scales: includes the sharks and rays (class Chondrichthyes: cartilaginous fishes) and the teleosts, lungfish, etc (class Osteichthyes: bony fishes)
b.
(in combination)
fishpond
▶ Related adjectives: ichthyic, ichthyoid, piscine
2.
any of various similar but jawless vertebrates, such as the hagfish and lamprey
3. (not in technical use)
any of various aquatic invertebrates, such as the cuttlefish, jellyfish, and crayfish
4.
the flesh of fish used as food
5. informal
a person of little emotion or intelligence
a poor fish
6. short for fishplate
7. Also called: tin fish. an informal word for torpedo (sense 1)
8. a fine kettle of fish
9. drink like a fish
10. have other fish to fry
11. like a fish out of water
12. make fish of one and flesh of another
13. neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
verb
14. (intransitive)
to attempt to catch fish, as with a line and hook or with nets, traps, etc
15. (transitive)
to fish in (a particular area of water)
16.
to search (a body of water) for something or to search for something, esp in a body of water
17. (intransitive; foll byfor)
to seek something indirectly
to fish for compliments
Derived forms
fishable (ˈfishable)
adjective
fishlike (ˈfishˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English fisc; related to Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fiscs, Russian piskar, Latin piscis
FISH in British English
(fɪʃ)
noun acronym for
fluorescence in situ hybridization, a technique for detecting and locating gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities
Fish in American English
(fɪʃ)
Hamilton1808-93; U.S. statesman
fish in American English
(fɪʃ)
nounWord forms: pluralfish or ˈfishes
1.
any of three classes (jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes) of coldblooded vertebrate animals livingin water and having fins, permanent gills for breathing, and, usually, scales
2. Loosely
any animal living in water only, as a dolphin, crab, or oyster
often used in combination
shellfish, jellyfish
3.
the flesh of a fish used as food
4. Informal
a person thought of as like a fish in being easily lured by bait, lacking intelligence or emotion, etc.
verb intransitive
5.
to catch or try to catch fish, or shrimps, lobsters, etc.
6.
to try to get something indirectly or by cunning
often with for
7.
to grope
often with for
verb transitive
8.
to catch or try to catch fish, shrimps, etc. in
to fish a stream
9.
to get by or as by fishing
10.
to grope for, find, and bring to view
often with out or up
to fish a coin from one's pocket
11. Nautical
to pull (an old-fashioned anchor) to the gunwale, as from the cathead, preparatory to securing it
adjective
12.
of fish or fishing
13.
selling fish
Idioms:
drink like a fish
fish in troubled waters
fish or cut bait
fish out
like a fish out of water
neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
other fish to fry
the Fishes
Derived forms
fishable (ˈfishable)
adjective
fishlike (ˈfishˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE fisc, akin to Ger fisch, Du visch < IE base *pisk- > L piscis
More idioms containing
fish
there are plenty more fish in the sea
something is like shooting fish in a barrel
have other fish to fry
drink like a fish
a cold fish
a big fish in a small pond
a big fish
be neither fish nor fowl
be like a fish out of water
fish or cut bait
a different kettle of fish
fish in troubled waters
Examples of 'fish' in a sentence
fish
They recommend eating more red meat and fish.
The Sun (2016)
Meanwhile the big fish continue to swim quite happily.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is where celebrities are left undisturbed to enjoy simple fish suppers or go for walks along the endless beaches.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Cover and cook for 5 mins while you rinse fish and pat dry.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He changed his diet, eating lots of fresh fish and vegetables and cutting carbs and sugar.
The Sun (2017)
A viewer may fish for information about how many viewings or offers are on the table.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Catching fish is a bonus.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
FISH and chip shops should serve portions in standard sizes to cut obesity, say researchers.
The Sun (2016)
Add the smoked haddock and simmer for 4 min, or until the fish is just cooked.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We first met in the local fish and chip shop.
The Sun (2008)
Pat the fish fillets dry then dust the top generously with salt.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These are the cold fish of the commercial world.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Swedish cuisine revolves mainly around meat and fish dishes.
Wood, Katie Cheap Eats Guide to Europe 1994 (1993)
This can be seen in such contrasting areas as fish farming and grain production.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
Will he prove neither upfield fish nor midfield fowl?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But most of the talk down at the only hotel is about big fish.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Stir the fish sauce and white pepper into the stock.
The Sun (2013)
Make three deep cuts along the body of the fish.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We are trying to revolutionise fish farming.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We found out that you have to study what kind of fly catches each fish.
Christianity Today (2000)
The fish go crazy when the lobsters are pulled out of their dens.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The limited fresh fish range is supported by a solid frozen section.
Smith, Drew Food Watch (1994)
Veg and fish should be neither hot nor cold but warm.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In the meantime he has other fish to fry.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We cannot face one more cup of green tea or choke down any more oily fish.
The Sun (2012)
Those claiming to be affected range from care homes and property companies to fish shops.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Pat the fish dry inside and out using kitchen towel.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Most of them included fish and lean meats in their diet.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Carefully turn the fillets and cook for a further few minutes until the fish is just cooked through.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But they are stiff, bony fish and the young birds cannot eat them easily.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You need diversity in age, not just big fish.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The insulin of the more advanced bony fish, reptiles, and mammals is a little cluster of six chains.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
Word lists with
fish
related adjectives, collective nouns, homes and habitations, baby and young animals
In other languages
fish
British English: fish /fɪʃ/ NOUN
A fish is a creature with a tail and fins that lives in water.
American English: fish
Arabic: سَمَكَة
Brazilian Portuguese: peixe
Chinese: 鱼
Croatian: riba
Czech: ryba
Danish: fisk
Dutch: vis
European Spanish: pez
Finnish: kala
French: poisson
German: Fisch
Greek: ψάρι
Italian: pesce
Japanese: 魚
Korean: 물고기
Norwegian: fisk
Polish: ryba
European Portuguese: peixe
Romanian: pește
Russian: рыба
Latin American Spanish: pez
Swedish: fisk
Thai: ปลา
Turkish: balık
Ukrainian: риба
Vietnamese: cá dưới nước
British English: fish /fɪʃ/ VERB
If you fish, you try to catch fish.
He regularly fishes with his dad.
American English: fish
Arabic: يَصْطادُ
Brazilian Portuguese: pescar
Chinese: 钓鱼
Croatian: ribariti
Czech: chytat ryby
Danish: fiske
Dutch: vissen
European Spanish: pescar
Finnish: kalastaa
French: pêcher
German: fischen
Greek: ψαρεύω
Italian: pescare
Japanese: 魚を捕る
Korean: 낚시하다
Norwegian: fiske
Polish: łowić
European Portuguese: pescar
Romanian: a pescui
Russian: рыбачить
Latin American Spanish: pescar
Swedish: fiska
Thai: ตกปลา
Turkish: balık avlamak
Ukrainian: ловити рибу
Vietnamese: câu cá
All related terms of 'fish'
pisci-
fish
anglerfish
a bony fish with a growth on its head which can be wiggled to attract prey
baitfish
any small fish used as bait for larger fish
boxfish
any tropical plectognath fish of the family Ostraciidae , having the body encased in bony plates with openings for the fins , eyes , mouth , etc
buffalofish
any of several freshwater North American hump-backed cyprinoid fishes of the genus Ictiobus : family Catostomidae ( suckers )
cardinalfish
any of the perchlike fishes of the family Apogonidae, many species of which are bright red with black markings
cavefish
any of various small freshwater cyprinodont fishes of the genera Amblyopsis, Chologaster, etc, living in subterranean and other waters in S North America
cutlassfish
any of a family (Trichiuridae) of very long, thin percoid fishes with a wide mouth and sharp , pointed teeth , found near the surface in tropical seas
dollarfish
any of various fishes that have a rounded compressed silvery body, esp the moonfishes or the American butterfish
dragonfish
any marine fish of the family Bathydraconidae, of Antarctic seas, having an elongated body and flattened head and being biochemically adapted to extremely low temperatures
finfish
fish with fins , as opposed to shellfish
grayfish
a dogfish
hatchetfish
any deep-sea fishes of the genera Argyropelicus, Sternoptyx , and related genera, of tropical and temperate waters , having a silvery , hatchet-shaped body
jackfish
the pike fish, esp when small
jawfish
any of several large-mouthed fishes of the family Opisthognathidae, common along sandy bottoms of warm seas
lanternfish
any of a family (Myctophidae) of deep-sea bony fishes (order Myctophiformes) with a large mouth , large eyes, and luminescent organs along each side of the body
lionfish
any of various scorpion fishes of the tropical Pacific genus Pterois, having a striped body and elongated spiny fins
lizardfish
any of a family (Synodontidae) of small, brightly colored , marine bony fishes (order Myctophiformes) with a slender body, lizardlike head, and large mouth
mosquitofish
a small gambusia fish ( Gambusia affinis ) sometimes introduced into a body of water to control mosquito larvae
porcupinefish
any of a family (Diodontidae, order Tetraodontiformes) of tropical , marine bony fishes that can erect the long spines on their body by inflating themselves with air or water
queenfish
a marine fish, Seriphus politus , found off the coast of California
razorfish
a mollusc with a long, narrow shell
sablefish
a dark-skinned fish of the family Anoplopomatiae , esp Anoplopoma fimbria , found off the western coast of North America
saltfish
salted cod
sandfish
a burrowing Pacific fish, Trichodon trichodon
scarfish
a fish in the family Scaridae
scorpionfish
any of various small, marine scorpaenids (esp. genus Scorpaena ) with poisonous spines in the dorsal , anal , and pelvic fins
snailfish
any small spiny-finned fish of the family Liparidae, esp Liparis liparis, of cold seas, having a soft scaleless tadpole-shaped body with the pelvic fins fused into a sucker
snakefish
a term for any fish resembling a snake
squirrelfish
any tropical marine brightly coloured teleost fish of the family Holocentridae
studfish
a type of American minnow or small fish
trumpetfish
any of several fishes of the family Aulostomidae, having a long, tubular snout , as the slender , brown-flecked Aulostomus maculatus , inhabiting waters on both sides of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, having the habit of orienting vertically in the water and capturing its prey from that position
viperfish
a predatory deep-sea fish of the family Chauliodontiae , with long, sharp , needle-shaped teeth
wreckfish
a large sea perch , Polyprion americanus, of the Atlantic and Mediterranean
big fish
If you describe someone as a big fish , you believe that they are powerful or important in some way .
bony fish
any fish of the class Osteichthyes , including most of the extant species, having a skeleton of bone rather than cartilage
cold fish
If you say that someone is a cold fish , you think that they are unfriendly and unemotional.
fish ball
a fried ball (or patty ) of minced fish, often mixed with mashed potatoes
fish bass
a bast fibre bag for holding an angler's catch
fish cake
A fish cake is a mixture of fish and potato that is made into a flat round shape , covered in breadcrumbs , and fried .
fish crow
a fish-eating crow ( Corvus ossifragus ) of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S.
fish-eye
a very small lens in a door that enables a person inside to see a visitor
fish farm
a place where fish are reared for commercial purposes
fish fork
a fork used for eating fish
fish fry
a meal that includes battered , fried fish, chips
fish glue
a type of glue made by prolonged boiling of the connective tissue of fish
fish hawk
→ osprey
fish hook
a bent piece of metal, often barbed and baited , which is used for catching fish
fish line
a line, usually with a hook at one end, used in fishing
fish meal
ground , dried fish , used as fertilizer or fodder
Chinese translation of 'fish'
fish
(fɪʃ)
n
(c) (Zool) 鱼(魚) (yú) (条(條), tiáo)
(u) (= food) 鱼(魚)肉 (yúròu)
vt
[river, area]捕 (bǔ)
vi
(commercially) 捕鱼(魚) (bǔyú)
(as sport, hobby) 钓(釣)鱼(魚) (diàoyú)
to go fishing去钓(釣)鱼(魚) (qù diàoyú)
All related terms of 'fish'
fish out
( from water ) 打捞(撈) dǎlāo
fish sticks
炸鱼(魚)条(條) zháyútiáo [ 英 = fish fingers ]
fish fingers
炸鱼(魚)条(條) zháyútiáo
fish and chips
炸鱼排加炸薯条
fish/meat/tomato etc paste
鱼(魚)/肉/番茄 等 酱(醬) yú/ròu/fānqié děng jiàng
tank
( Mil ) 坦克 tǎnkè [ 辆(輛) liàng ]
tuna
tuna fish 金枪(槍)鱼(魚) jīnqiāngyú [ 条(條) tiáo ]
to live on a diet of fish and rice
以鱼(魚)和米为(為)主食 yǐ yú hé mǐ wéi zhǔshí
some people hate fish, while others love it
有些人讨(討)厌(厭)鱼(魚),而有些人喜欢(歡) yǒuxiē rén tǎoyàn yú, ér yǒuxiē rén xǐhuan
1 (verb)
Definition
to attempt to catch fish
He learnt to fish in the River Cam.
Synonyms
angle
net
cast
trawl
2 (verb)
Definition
to grope for and find with some difficulty
He fished in his pocket for the key.
Synonyms
look (for)
search
Armed troops searched the hospital yesterday.
delve
He delved into his rucksack and pulled out a folder.
ferret
She ferreted among some papers.
rummage
They rummage through piles of second-hand clothes.
fossick (Australian, New Zealand)
If you fossick around in some specialist music stores, you may be lucky enough to find a copy.
Phrasal verbs
See fish for something
See fish something out
related words
related adjectivespiscineichthyoidichthyic
name of youngfryfingerling
collective nounsshoaldraughthaulruncatch
name of homeredd
related maniaichthyomania
see also subject word lists:
See SharksSee Shellfish
subject word lists
See Types of fishSee Extinct fish
Additional synonyms
in the sense of delve
Definition
to dig
He delved into his rucksack and pulled out a folder.
Synonyms
rummage,
search,
look,
burrow,
ransack,
forage,
dig,
fossick (Australian, New Zealand)
in the sense of ferret
Definition
to search around
She ferreted among some papers.
Synonyms
search,
hunt,
sift,
scour,
rummage,
forage,
fossick (Australian, New Zealand)
in the sense of fossick
Definition
to search for, through, or in something; to forage
If you fossick around in some specialist music stores, you may be lucky enough to find a copy.
Synonyms
search,
hunt,
explore,
ferret,
check,
forage,
rummage
Synonyms of 'fish'
fish
Explore 'fish' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of rummage
Definition
to search untidily
They rummage through piles of second-hand clothes.
Synonyms
search,
hunt,
root,
explore,
delve,
examine,
ransack,
forage,
fossick (Australian, New Zealand),
rootle
in the sense of search
Definition
to look through (a place) thoroughly in order to find someone or something