herring

[ her-ing ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) her·ring, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) her·rings.

1. an important food fish, Clupea harengus harengus, found in enormous shoals in the North Atlantic.
2. a similar fish, Clupea harengus pallasii, of the North Pacific.
3. any fish of the family Clupeidae, including herrings, shads, and sardines.
4. any of various fishes resembling the herring but of unrelated families.

herring

/ ˈhɛrɪŋ /

noun

1. 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

Other Words From

• herring·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of herring¹

before 900; Middle English hering, Old English hǣring; cognate with German Häring

Word History and Origins

Origin of herring¹

Old English hǣring; related to Old High German hāring, Old Frisian hēring, Dutch haring

Idioms and Phrases

see dead as a doornail (herring) ; red herring .

Example Sentences

The herring gull was already on the list.

From Salon

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Salon that his own research suggests that noncitizen voting is a total red herring.

From Salon

The Bristol Channel is home to salmon, eels, herring, sprats, and dozens of protected marine species.

From BBC

"It is unclear when, or if, their population will be able to recover. Dead herring from a local herring fishery were used to attract the birds to the boat."

From BBC

"The fun is to play into the red herrings," he says.

From BBC