rainbow trout

noun

1. a trout, Salmo gairdnerii, native in the coastal waters and streams from Baja California to Alaska, used as a food and game fish.

rainbow trout

noun

1. a freshwater trout of North American origin, Salmo gairdneri , having a body marked with many black spots and two longitudinal red stripes

Word History and Origins

Origin of rainbow trout¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

Several examples of mislabelling involved substituting an expensive product for a cheaper species: tilapia for snapper, rainbow trout for Atlantic salmon.

From Salon

“I thought, was that a salmon or maybe it was a very large rainbow trout?”

From Los Angeles Times

The lake is seasonally stocked with bass, rainbow trout and catfish.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re rainbow trout, the same species as a Southern California population of steelhead trout that in April was listed under the state Endangered Species Act.

From Los Angeles Times

The steelhead is a rainbow trout that — unlike its freshwater little brother — grows up in the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times