sawfish

American  

[saw-fish] / ˈsɔˌfɪʃ /

noun

• sawfish,
  plural
• sawfishes
  plural

1. a large, elongated ray of the genus Pristis, living along tropical coasts and lowland rivers, with a bladelike snout bearing strong teeth on each side.

---

sawfish British  

/ ˈsɔːˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any sharklike ray of the family Pristidae of subtropical coastal waters and estuaries, having a serrated bladelike mouth

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sawfish
  plural
• sawfishes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of sawfish

First recorded in 1655–65; saw ¹ + fish

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sawfish sawfishes

Seagrasses provide shelters, nurseries, and feeding grounds for thousands of species, including endangered animals such as dugongs, stalked jellyfish and smalltooth sawfish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025

“We are hopeful this rescue and rehabilitation of an adult smalltooth sawfish will bring us one step closer to understanding the cause of this event.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024

To find out, she and colleagues examined 17 genomes from various species of sharks, skates, and sawfish.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 12, 2023

A snaggletoothed cetacean that lived off the waters near New Zealand used teeth projected from its snout to stun prey, much as modern sawfish do.

From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

For defence against any obtrusive shark or sawfish he carried a heavy, long-bladed, two-edged knife, by far the most effective weapon in deep water.

From The Haunters of the Silences A Book of Animal Life by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

"Keep together, friends, and be careful not to separate, for here comes an army of sawfishes."

From The Sea Fairies by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

Seeing this, the sawfishes soon abandoned the attempt and with growls and roars of disappointment swam away and were quickly out of sight.

From The Sea Fairies by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---