rainbow trout

American

noun

a trout, Salmo gairdnerii, native in the coastal waters and streams from Baja California to Alaska, used as a food and game fish.

rainbow trout British

noun

a freshwater trout of North American origin, Salmo gairdneri , having a body marked with many black spots and two longitudinal red stripes

"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

Etymology

Origin of rainbow trout

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

Rainbow trout are one of the five species of trout found in New Mexico.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2023

Rainbow trout truly went off once the dams came down.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2020

A few remnant Cutthroat genes in a Rainbow trout population is no substitute for the Cutthroats themselves.

From New York Times • Aug. 14, 2014

Rainbow trout, introduced into the UK, is a case in point.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2010

Rainbow trout are very plentiful in the river for here it was a clear rushing mountain stream with deep pools and the water was cold throughout the summer from melting snows.

From Little Pills, An Army Story Being Some Experiences of a United States Army Medical Officer on the Frontier Nearly a Half Century Ago by McKay, Robert Henderson

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