toadfish

American  

[tohd-fish] / ˈtoʊdˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

toadfish,

plural

toadfishes

1. any of several thick-headed, wide-mouthed fishes of the family Batrachoididae, as Opsanus tau oyster toadfish, or ugly toad, ranging along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

2. puffer.

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toadfish British  

/ ˈtəʊdˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any spiny-finned bottom-dwelling marine fish of the family Batrachoididae, of tropical and temperate seas, having a flattened tapering body and a wide mouth

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Etymology

Origin of toadfish

First recorded in 1605–15; toad + fish

Example Sentences

At one point, the group discovers a plainfin midshipman, a member of the toadfish family, languid and big-lipped in the sunny shallow.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2022

The research began when Dr. Chagnaud, who studies the vibrating vocalizations of toadfish, wanted to compare the fish to rattlesnakes, which use similar muscles to rattle their tails.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2021

When I was a child on Long Island, I would hear toadfish croaking through the thin hull of my aluminum rowboat.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2018

Drumfish, toadfish, and midshipmen are related species that have some less obvious but no less impressive transformations.

From National Geographic • Mar. 24, 2018

Now, if they'd said bull-terriers," he said, "I might have had my doubts, but a bulldog's no more dangerous than a toadfish.

From The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Morris, Gouverneur