catfish

1 of 2

noun

cat·fish ˈkat-ˌfish How to pronounce catfish (audio)

: any of an order (Siluriformes) of chiefly freshwater stout-bodied scaleless bony fishes having long tactile barbels

: a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

catfish

2 of 2

verb

catfished; catfishing; catfishes

intransitive : to fish for catfish

… Bob was catfishing off a floating Ohio River dock near Eight Mile Road east of Cincinnati one early summer evening …

Kentucky Happy Hunting Ground

transitive : to deceive (someone) by creating a false personal profile online

"They never actually met. She was an online thing. They'd been talking for over a year. We were all pretty sure she was catfishing him, but he was convinced she was legit and that they were in love."

R. L. Naquin

"Heather" stopped messaging me abruptly several months after we started talking. She was a grown woman, and I never lied about how young I was. Even so, I've never been quite sure which one of us was being catfished.

Vanessa Vitiello Uruhart

Did you know?

For centuries, a catfish was merely a type of fish with a distinctive face. Then, in 2010, Ariel Schulman released Catfish, a documentary about his brother Nev's experiences with a woman who pretended to be someone else online. (The movie was popular enough to spawn a television show by the same title.) In the documentary, the woman's husband explained the title with an anecdote about how fishermen transporting live cod used to put catfish in with the cod on long-haul shipments to keep the desirable cod active and alert until arrival. The man implied that his wife was like those catfish, keeping the lives of others fresh and interesting.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Serafini's creates dinner and lunch specialties using local ingredients that range from Tenderloin Cognac and lasagna to pesto chicken and fried catfish, combining the best of Italy with Kentucky’s southern food traditions.

The Courier-Journal, 25 July 2022 The Yumei Foods soup contains a type of fish from the Siluriformes (catfish) species.

Chris Smith, BGR, 23 July 2022 Bass, perch, and catfish are in the creek for fishing enthusiasts.

Gabriel Romero, Chron, 15 July 2022 Authorities said two men were noodling — catching catfish with their hands — in the river on July 9 when a confrontation began.

al, 14 July 2022 The upper Mekong is also habitat for Mekong giant catfish and other species of large freshwater fish.

Evan Bush, NBC News, 20 June 2022 After learning the basics, everyone can test their luck fishing for stocked catfish and bluegill in the Rockefeller Lagoon.

cleveland, 15 Apr. 2022 The old Sandusky Bay Bridge is a hot spot for the catfish crowds both during the day and after dark.

D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 7 July 2022 The stingray—which researchers with the Wonders of the Mekong conservation project saved—beat out the previous freshwater record-holder, a 646-pound catfish found in Thailand in 2005, also in the Mekong River.

Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun

cat entry 1 + fish entry 1; so called from the whiskerlike appearance of the barbels surrounding the fish's mouth; (sense 2) after Catfish (2010), a documentary film about a man who through social networking develops remote relationships with members of a family whose life histories have been fabricated to various degrees

Note: The title of the film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, is based on a story told by the husband of the woman responsible for the fabrications. He explains that at one time cod were shipped live in tanks from Alaska to China. The inactive cod would become mushy and tasteless, until someone came upon the idea of placing catfish in the tanks to stimulate them. To the man, his wife has played a role similar to that of the catfish in the tank: "… there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh." As subsequent investigation has uncovered, the catfish tale is much older than the film. It was used for different comparative purposes by the British journalist Henry Nevinson in an essay "The Catfish" published as part of a collection in 1913 (Essays in Rebellion, London, James Nisbet & Co.). The tale itself appears to be a fabrication, as cod were not shipped across oceans in tanks, and catfish, being bottom-feeders, are not predators of cod. For further details see Ben Zimmer, "Catfish: How Manti Te'o's imaginary romance got its name," Boston Globe (online), January 27, 2013; Aisha Harris, "Who coined the term 'catfish'?", Slate (online), January 18, 2013.

Verb

derivative of catfish entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

单词	catfish
释义	catfish 1 of 2 noun cat·fish ˈkat-ˌfish 1 : any of an order (Siluriformes) of chiefly freshwater stout-bodied scaleless bony fishes having long tactile barbels 2 : a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes Illustration of catfish catfish 1 catfish 2 of 2 verb catfished; catfishing; catfishes 1 intransitive : to fish for catfish … Bob was catfishing off a floating Ohio River dock near Eight Mile Road east of Cincinnati one early summer evening … Kentucky Happy Hunting Ground 2 transitive : to deceive (someone) by creating a false personal profile online "They never actually met. She was an online thing. They'd been talking for over a year. We were all pretty sure she was catfishing him, but he was convinced she was legit and that they were in love." R. L. Naquin "Heather" stopped messaging me abruptly several months after we started talking. She was a grown woman, and I never lied about how young I was. Even so, I've never been quite sure which one of us was being catfished. Vanessa Vitiello Uruhart see also catfish entry 1 sense 2 catfishing noun … this novel is timely due to recent high-profile examples of "catfishing"—where an individual creates a false online identity, often with deceptive or malicious romantic goals. Ryan F. Paulsen Did you know? For centuries, a catfish was merely a type of fish with a distinctive face. Then, in 2010, Ariel Schulman released Catfish, a documentary about his brother Nev's experiences with a woman who pretended to be someone else online. (The movie was popular enough to spawn a television show by the same title.) In the documentary, the woman's husband explained the title with an anecdote about how fishermen transporting live cod used to put catfish in with the cod on long-haul shipments to keep the desirable cod active and alert until arrival. The man implied that his wife was like those catfish, keeping the lives of others fresh and interesting. Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web Noun Serafini's creates dinner and lunch specialties using local ingredients that range from Tenderloin Cognac and lasagna to pesto chicken and fried catfish, combining the best of Italy with Kentucky’s southern food traditions. The Courier-Journal, 25 July 2022 The Yumei Foods soup contains a type of fish from the Siluriformes (catfish) species. Chris Smith, BGR, 23 July 2022 Bass, perch, and catfish are in the creek for fishing enthusiasts. Gabriel Romero, Chron, 15 July 2022 Authorities said two men were noodling — catching catfish with their hands — in the river on July 9 when a confrontation began. al, 14 July 2022 The upper Mekong is also habitat for Mekong giant catfish and other species of large freshwater fish. Evan Bush, NBC News, 20 June 2022 After learning the basics, everyone can test their luck fishing for stocked catfish and bluegill in the Rockefeller Lagoon. cleveland, 15 Apr. 2022 The old Sandusky Bay Bridge is a hot spot for the catfish crowds both during the day and after dark. D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 7 July 2022 The stingray—which researchers with the Wonders of the Mekong conservation project saved—beat out the previous freshwater record-holder, a 646-pound catfish found in Thailand in 2005, also in the Mekong River. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun cat entry 1 + fish entry 1; so called from the whiskerlike appearance of the barbels surrounding the fish's mouth; (sense 2) after Catfish (2010), a documentary film about a man who through social networking develops remote relationships with members of a family whose life histories have been fabricated to various degrees Note: The title of the film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, is based on a story told by the husband of the woman responsible for the fabrications. He explains that at one time cod were shipped live in tanks from Alaska to China. The inactive cod would become mushy and tasteless, until someone came upon the idea of placing catfish in the tanks to stimulate them. To the man, his wife has played a role similar to that of the catfish in the tank: "… there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh." As subsequent investigation has uncovered, the catfish tale is much older than the film. It was used for different comparative purposes by the British journalist Henry Nevinson in an essay "The Catfish" published as part of a collection in 1913 (Essays in Rebellion, London, James Nisbet & Co.). The tale itself appears to be a fabrication, as cod were not shipped across oceans in tanks, and catfish, being bottom-feeders, are not predators of cod. For further details see Ben Zimmer, "Catfish: How Manti Te'o's imaginary romance got its name," Boston Globe (online), January 27, 2013; Aisha Harris, "Who coined the term 'catfish'?", Slate (online), January 18, 2013. Verb derivative of catfish entry 1 First Known Use Noun 1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing catfish blue catfish channel catfish flathead catfish walking catfish cory catfish blue catfish channel catfish flathead catfish walking catfish cory catfish Kids Definition catfish noun cat·fish ˈkat-ˌfish : a fish with a large head and feelers about the mouth
随便看	abscise abscised abscises abscisic acid abscisin abscising abscisins absciss absciss layer abscissa abscissae abscissas abscisses abscissins abscissio infiniti abscission abscission layer abscission zone abscissiones infiniti abscissions abscond abscond (with) abscond with absconded absconded (with)

catfish

noun

Illustration of catfish

verb

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing catfish

Kids Definition

noun