catfish

American  

[kat-fish] / ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

• catfish,
  plural
• catfishes
  plural

1. any of the numerous fishes of the order or suborder Nematognathi (or Siluroidei), characterized by barbels around the mouth and the absence of scales.

2. a wolffish of the genus Anarhichas.

3. any of various other fishes having a fancied resemblance to a cat.

4. Slang. a person who assumes a false identity or personality on the internet, especially on social media websites, as to deceive, manipulate, or swindle.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Slang. to deceive, swindle, etc., by assuming a false identity or personality online.

   He fell in love with her online before he realized he'd been catfished.

catfish British  

/ ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of numerous mainly freshwater teleost fishes having whisker-like barbels around the mouth, esp the silurids of Europe and Asia and the horned pouts of North America

2. another name for wolffish

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Usage

What does catfish mean? Aside from being a delicious kind of river fish, a catfish is a slang term for someone who seduces a person with a false identity online.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catfish
  plural
• catfishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of catfish

First recorded in 1605–15; cat + fish

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catfish catfishes

“There’s literally about 20 to 30 catfish from the lake in the freezer,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Under a tent, Irma Spears’s brother fried up 240 pounds of catfish and buffalo fish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Fish species affected included largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and stocked species such as brown trout and rainbow trout.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

"A few years ago, I used to catch big fish like captains and catfish but because of the pollution, they've moved further out to sea," fisherman Gilby Mwana-Fioti told AFP.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

I don t believe there was a catfish in that creek that could resist.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

Chuck invents a new social media account for her, through which he catfishes his lonely son, who immediately takes a liking to her.

From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Today's lungfish and some catfishes can propel themselves along land for short periods with their fins.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 17, 2020

Instead, the show has emerged as pro-truth and genuineness as players who decide to be "100% authentic" are literally embraced more often than the catfishes are.

From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2020

Dr. Phil A woman who catfishes tells why she has been pretending to be a man online for so long and meets the man whose photo she's been using.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2018

We cannot entirely exclude even fishes from our list; as the absence of mangroves would incidentally affect the climbing perch and catfishes!

From The Log of the Sun A Chronicle of Nature's Year by William Beebe