barracuda

American  

[bar-uh-koo-duh] / ˌbær əˈku də /

noun

plural

barracuda,

plural

barracudas, barracudas

1. any of several elongated, predaceous, tropical and subtropical marine fishes of the genus Sphyraena, certain species of which are used for food.

2. Slang. a treacherous, greedy person.

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barracuda British  

/ ˌbærəˈkjuːdə /

noun

1. any predatory marine teleost fish of the mostly tropical family Sphyraenidae , esp Sphyraena barracuda . They have an elongated body, strong teeth, and a protruding lower jaw

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Etymology

Origin of barracuda

First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin American Spanish; further origin unknown

Explanation

A barracuda is a big, long fish with very sharp teeth. If a scary-looking fanged fish swims in your direction when you're snorkeling in the tropics, you might want to paddle in the opposite direction as you yell, "Barracuda!" Humans are typically more dangerous to barracudas than the other way around, since they're popular as food. However, they are large enough that they've been known to bite swimmers, probably mistaking them for prey. Barracudas mainly live in very warm, tropical water, near coral reefs and tall sea grasses. We know this word dates from the seventeenth century from American Spanish, but beyond that its origin is a mystery.

Example Sentences

Brian Keuer hauled in a small catch of red snapper and barracuda on a small, single-engine fishing boat on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

They were followed by a number of fishes that are common consumed by these penguins, including barracuda, anchovy, sardine, herring and zooplankton.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2024

At first, she thought it might be a barracuda but that didn’t seem right, so she posted a photo of it on Twitter and asked what it could be.

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2023

Second place receives a fabulous soft rubbery hand puppet depicting a, well, some indeterminate aquatic creature; guesses included a shark, barracuda, alligator and dinosaur.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2021

Gilly favored Miss Ellis with her best barracuda smile.

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson