sunfish

[ suhn-fish ]
See synonyms for: sunfishsunfishes on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural (especially collectively) sun·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) sun·fish·es.
  1. the ocean sunfish, Mola mola.

  2. any of various other fishes of the family Molidae.

  1. any of several small, brightly colored, spiny-rayed freshwater fishes of the genus Lepomis, of North America, having a deep, compressed body.

Origin of sunfish

1
First recorded in 1620–30; sun + fish

Words Nearby sunfish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sunfish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sunfish

sunfish

/ (ˈsʌnˌfɪʃ) /


nounplural -fish or -fishes
  1. any large plectognath fish of the family Molidae, of temperate and tropical seas, esp Mola mola, which has a large rounded compressed body, long pointed dorsal and anal fins, and a fringelike tail fin

  2. any of various small predatory North American freshwater percoid fishes of the family Centrarchidae, typically having a compressed brightly coloured body

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