flatfish

American

[flat-fish] / ˈflætˌfɪʃ /

noun

any fish of the order Heterosomata (Pleuronectiformes), including the halibut, sole, flounder, etc., having a greatly compressed body and swimming on one side, with both eyes on the upper side in the adult.

flatfish British

/ ˈflætˌfɪʃ /

noun

any marine spiny-finned fish of the order Heterosomata , including the halibut, plaice, turbot, and sole, all of which (when adult) swim along the sea floor on one side of the body, which is highly compressed and has both eyes on the uppermost side

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of flatfish

First recorded in 1700–10; flat ¹ + 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.

The most popular lures in this category are the KwikFish and the Flatfish.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2016

Flatfish sizes range from the M2 to the Mag Lip 4.5 to the even larger Hog Nose.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2016

Another Flatfish pattern to focus on big fish is the M2 in Chub.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2011

John Kopy, a popular river guide, says, �It�s a lot easier to run a Flatfish, Kwikfish or Hot Shot effectively from a boat than from shifting icebergs.�

From Time Magazine Archive

Flatfish in fly-rod sizes are still my go-to lure when trolling for trout-pond rainbows, whereas the largest sizes are still top lures for giant lakers in the Far North.

From Time Magazine Archive

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