barracuda

[ bar-uh-koo-duh ]

/ ˌbær əˈku də /

noun, plural (especially collectively) bar·ra·cu·da, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) bar·ra·cu·das for 1; bar·ra·cu·das for 2.

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

Slang. a treacherous, greedy person.

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Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

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Origin of barracuda

1670–80; < American Spanish < ?

Words nearby barracuda

barracks, barracks bag, barracks lawyer, barracoon, barracouta, barracuda, barracudina, barrage, barrage balloon, barramunda, barramundi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for barracuda

A barracuda was caught by research scientists near Santa Cruz.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?|Kevin Bailey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The barracuda looked to me to be fully seven feet long and half as big around as a telegraph pole.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
Mostly they are caught by accident while drags are set for kingfish or barracuda.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
We circled him three times with barracuda, and again with a flying-fish.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey

Barracuda come right up to the shore, and likewise the big sharks.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
I did not know then, as I know now, that barracuda grow to twelve feet in the Caribbean.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for barracuda

barracuda

/ (ˌbærəˈkjuːdə) /

noun plural -da or -das

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

Word Origin for barracuda

C17: from American Spanish, of unknown origin

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