A herring is a long silver-coloured fish. Herring live in large groups in the sea.
Herring is a piece of this fish eaten as food.
2. See also red herring
herring in British English
(ˈhɛrɪŋ)
nounWord forms: plural-rings or -ring
any marine soft-finned teleost fish of the family Clupeidae, esp Clupea harengus, an important food fish of northern seas, having an elongated body covered, except in the head region, with large fragile silvery scales
Word origin
Old English hǣring; related to Old High German hāring, Old Frisian hēring, Dutch haring
herring in American English
(ˈhɛrɪŋ)
nounWord forms: pluralˈherrings or ˈherring
any of various clupeid fishes; esp., a small, silvery food fish (Clupea harengus) of northern seas that is canned as a sardine
A solitary herring gull, blown in from the south coast, seemed to be playing on the freezing cauldron of air.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The commonest gull in seaside towns in summer is the herring gull.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Where are the pickled herring and onion open sandwiches?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The mackerel and herring season has just kicked off as the fish move south for the winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This tactic can also be useful in a meeting when red herrings are constantly raised.
Harris, Jean Everything You Need to Know for Success in Business (1990)
Herring gulls steal the fish they bring to their young one.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The virtual aspect is a red herring.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Herring gulls are highly protective of their offspring and will attack anyone who gets too close.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The doctors said this excuse was a red herring.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But they are no longer herring gulls.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Perhaps the race question is a red herring.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It used to be fish - herring mostly.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We'll do him a mean pickled herring.
The Sun (2009)
It's enough to make you choke on your pickled herring.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Herring gulls have a 1.5 metre wingspan and are naturally bold.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
A discard ban on herring and mackerel has been in place for a year.
The Sun (2016)
You can use small fish other than herring to make the rolls or larger fish such as perch, bass and trout.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We can also get it naturally from regularly eating oily fish such as herrings and mackerel, sardines and tuna canned in oil.
The Sun (2012)
Vitamin D is available in significant amounts only from oily fish such as herrings and salmon.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Or how about raw and cooked FISH with pickled herring and prawns.
The Sun (2011)
The omega-3 found in sardines, herring and walnuts can help fight it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It heaped censure on 'red herrings' being deployed by both campaigns.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are clean creatures, preying on other fish, notably herring.
Smith, Drew Food Watch (1994)
A decade ago, most people would probably have dismissed Nordic food as being just meatballs and pickled herring.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
herring
baby and young animals, Types of fish
In other languages
herring
British English: herring /ˈhɛrɪŋ/ NOUN
A herring is a long silver-coloured fish.
American English: herring
Arabic: سَمَكُ الرَّنـجَةُ
Brazilian Portuguese: arenque
Chinese: 鲱
Croatian: haringa
Czech: sleď
Danish: sild
Dutch: haring
European Spanish: arenque
Finnish: silli
French: hareng
German: Hering Tier
Greek: ρέγγα
Italian: aringa
Japanese: ニシン
Korean: 청어
Norwegian: sild
Polish: śledź ryba
European Portuguese: arenque
Romanian: scrumbie
Russian: сельдь
Latin American Spanish: arenque
Swedish: sill
Thai: ปลาเฮอริ่ง
Turkish: ringa balığı
Ukrainian: оселедець
Vietnamese: cá trích
All related terms of 'herring'
red herring
If you say that something is a red herring , you mean that it is not important and it takes your attention away from the main subject or problem you are considering .
herring boat
a fishing boat that specializes in catching herring
herring gull
a common gull , Larus argentatus, that has a white plumage with black-tipped wings and pink legs
herring-pond
→ the herring-pond
lake herring
a trout ( Coregonus artedii ) of the Great Lakes
matjes herring
a reddish herring , filleted and served or packed usually in a spiced wine sauce
rollmop herring
a herring fillet rolled, usually around onion slices, and pickled in spiced vinegar
a red herring
a piece of information, a suggestion , or an action that is irrelevant and, often deliberately, is taking people's attention away from the main subject or problem that they should be considering
Bismarck herring
marinaded herring , served cold
ox-eye herring
a herring-like sea fish, Megalops cyprinoides , of northern Australian waters , related to the tarpon
schmaltz herring
herring caught just before spawning , when it has much fat