catfish

American

[kat-fish] / ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

catfish,

plural

catfishes

any of the numerous fishes of the order or suborder Nematognathi (or Siluroidei), characterized by barbels around the mouth and the absence of scales.
a wolffish of the genus Anarhichas.
any of various other fishes having a fancied resemblance to a cat.
Slang. a person who assumes a false identity or personality on the internet, especially on social media websites, as to deceive, manipulate, or swindle.

verb (used with or without object)

Slang. to deceive, swindle, etc., by assuming a false identity or personality online.

He fell in love with her online before he realized he'd been catfished.

catfish British

/ ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of numerous mainly freshwater teleost fishes having whisker-like barbels around the mouth, esp the silurids of Europe and Asia and the horned pouts of North America
another name for wolffish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does catfish mean? Aside from being a delicious kind of river fish, a catfish is a slang term for someone who seduces a person with a false identity online.

Etymology

Origin of catfish

First recorded in 1605–15; cat + fish

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

South Wales Police is investigating, while online safety lawyer Yair Cohen said people who catfish in this way do so because they are frequently motivated by "low self-esteem" and enjoy the power it gives them.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Fishing for the invasive blue catfish in the Potomac downstream of D.C. has skyrocketed in recent years, and there is concern about how the fishery will be affected.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

The new catfish - Callum Crolla - had posted a photo of a woman at a concert in London in an attempt to make another woman jealous.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

This group spans more than 10,000 species, from catfish to aquarium favorites such as tetras and zebrafish.

From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2025

“These aren’t catfish cakes. They look like baby doodles.”

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023