barracuda

[ bar-uh-koo-duh ]

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.
  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.

Origin of barracuda

1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin American Spanish; further origin unknown

Words Nearby barracuda

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use barracuda in a sentence

  • The big barracuda with incredible speed and unbelievable ferocity rushed right to the side of the boat at the bonita.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
  • 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
  • We circled him three times with flying-fish bait and once with barracuda, and as he paid no attention to them we left him.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
  • One night he brought in an eighty-pound barracuda but usually the larger fish cost him line, leader or spoon.

    Terry | Charles Goff Thomson
  • barracuda come right up to the shore, and likewise the big sharks.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for barracuda

barracuda

/ (ˌbærəˈkjuːdə) /


nounplural -da or -das
  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

Origin of barracuda

1
C17: from American Spanish, of unknown origin

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