tuna

¹ American  

[too-nuh, tyoo-] / ˈtu nə, ˈtyu- /

noun

plural

tuna,

plural

tunas

1. any of several large food and game fishes of the family Scombridae, inhabiting temperate and tropical seas.

2. any of various related fishes.

3. Also called tuna fish.  the flesh of the tuna, used as food.

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tuna ² American  

[too-nuh, tyoo-] / ˈtu nə, ˈtyu- /

noun

1. any of various prickly pears, prickly pears, especially either of two erect, treelike species, Opuntia tuna or O. ficus-indica, of Mexico, bearing a sweet, edible fruit.

2. the fruit of these plants.

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tuna ¹ British  

/ ˈtjuːnə /

noun

1. Also called: tunny.  any of various large marine spiny-finned fishes of the genus Thunnus , esp T. thynnus , chiefly of warm waters: family Scombridae . They have a spindle-shaped body and widely forked tail, and are important food fishes

2. any of various similar and related fishes

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tuna ² British  

/ ˈtjuːnə /

noun

1. any of various tropical American prickly pear cacti, esp Opuntia tuna , that are cultivated for their sweet edible fruits

2. the fruit of any of these cacti

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Etymology

Origin of tuna¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1880–85; from Spanish (California), variant of Spanish atún, from Arabic al “the” + tūn, from Greek thýnnos tunny

Origin of tuna²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish, from Taíno

Explanation

A tuna is a large saltwater fish. The weight of a tuna varies enormously, from four pounds to more than 1,500 pounds! It's common to refer to the kind of tuna that's sold as food in cans as "tuna fish." If you're mainly familiar with the tuna on your tuna fish sandwich, you might be surprised to learn that the Atlantic bluefin tuna lives to be about 50 years old, and can measure almost seven feet long. The word tuna comes from the Arabic root tun via the Spanish atún.

Example Sentences

They’ve got a really great spicy tuna roll that’s made out of watermelon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

This adaptation has evolved independently in several shark and tuna species, giving them advantages such as faster swimming, long-distance travel, and improved hunting ability.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

Others have taken to fishing over the side of their tankers, catching tuna, squid and largehead hairtail to cook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The starter is a nod to McIlroy's favourite New York restaurant, Le Bernardin, where the 36-year-old always orders yellowfin tuna carpaccio.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

You’ll have to catch a giant tuna some other day.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick