walleye

American  

[wawl-ahy] / ˈwɔl aɪ /

noun

plural

walleyes, walleye

1. Also called walleyed pike, jack salmon.  a large game fish, Stizostedion vitreum, inhabiting the lakes and rivers of northeastern North America; pikeperch.

2. any of various other fishes having large, staring eyes.

3. an eye characteristic of a walleyed person or animal.

4. Military. Walleye, a series of television-guided bombs with high-explosive warheads, in production since the 1960s.

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walleye British  

/ ˈwɔːlˌaɪ /

noun

1. a divergent squint

2. opacity of the cornea

3. an eye having a white or light-coloured iris

4. (in some collies) an eye that is particoloured white and blue

5. Also called: walleyed pike.  a North American pikeperch, Stizostedion vitreum, valued as a food and game fish

6. any of various other fishes having large staring eyes

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Other Word Forms

• walleyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of walleye

First recorded in 1515–25; back formation from walleyed

Example Sentences

The big worry now is that the carp are migrating closer to the Great Lakes, where they could endanger the walleye, bass and trout that support the region’s $5 billion fishing industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

A 14-year-old Minnesota boy was out fishing for walleye on the state’s Lake of the Woods when he dredged up something else — a wallet containing $2,000 in wet, mossy cash.

From Washington Times • Aug. 23, 2023

In 2016, the Toronto Star reported that mercury levels in walleye fish in Clay Lake were 90 times higher than the recommended levels of daily intake for pregnant women set by the U.S.

From Salon • Aug. 4, 2023

A crowd of people at Gordon Park in Cleveland watched as Fischer cut the freshwater fish open, and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2023

She gave us the walleye and said, “Dinner in an hour.”

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly