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trumpetfish

American

[truhm-pit-fish] / ˈtrʌm pɪtˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of several fishes of the family Aulostomidae, having a long, tubular snout, as the slender, brown-flecked Aulostomus maculatus, inhabiting waters on both sides of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, having the habit of orienting vertically in the water and capturing its prey from that position.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of trumpetfish

First recorded in 1660–70; trumpet + 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.

Trumpetfish like to snack on damselfish and shrimp in coral reefs and sea grass beds around the world.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2023

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.