angler

[ang-gler]

noun

a person who fishes with a hook and line.

a person who gets or tries to get something through scheming.

Also called allmouth, anglerfish, goosefish, lotte, monkfish. any large pediculate fish of the family Lophiidae, especially Lophius americanus, found along the Atlantic coast of America, having an immense mouth and a large, depressed head to which is attached a wormlike filament for luring prey.

Also called anglerfish. any of various related fishes of the order Lophiiformes.

Origin of angler

First recorded in 1545–55; angle² + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for angler

Contemporary Examples of angler

That story can be found on pp. 195-196 of Barton Gellman's to-date definitive study of the Cheney vice presidency, Angler.
Cheney in History
David Frum
March 26, 2012

Historical Examples of angler

Like the angler, he is an artist, and the resemblance does not end here.
Sophist
Plato
Thus, by a series of divisions, we have arrived at the definition of the angler's art.
Sophist
Plato
Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
If the angler rests the tuna will not only rest, too, but he will take more and more line.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
But the angler is baffled at the outset by the presence of a steep slope behind him.
Creatures of the Night
Alfred W. Rees

British Dictionary definitions for angler

angler

noun

a person who fishes with a rod and line

informal a person who schemes or uses devious methods to secure an advantage

Also called: angler fish any spiny-finned fish of the order Pediculati (or Lophiiformes). They live at the bottom of the sea and typically have a long spiny movable dorsal fin with which they lure their prey

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

Word Origin and History for angler

"fisher with a hook and line," mid-15c. (c.1300 as a surname); agent noun from angle (v.1).