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pilotfish

American  
[pahy-luht-fish] / ˈpaɪ lətˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

pilotfish,

plural

pilotfishes

  1. a small, marine fish, Naucrates ductor, often swimming with sharks.

  2. any of various other fishes having similar habits.

Etymology

Origin of pilotfish

First recorded in 1625–35; pilot + 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.

More than any of his rivals, Cruz has steered clear of public fights with Trump, or as Wilson described it, Cruz has been "like a pilotfish to Trump's very large white shark."

From Reuters • Dec. 15, 2015

Manhattan ship news reporters generally are as adept at prying information out of incoming celebrities as the pilotfish is in deriving sustenance from the shark.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.