catfish

American  

[kat-fish] / ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

• catfish,
  plural
• catfishes
  plural

1. any of the numerous fishes of the order or suborder Nematognathi (or Siluroidei), characterized by barbels around the mouth and the absence of scales.

2. a wolffish of the genus Anarhichas.

3. any of various other fishes having a fancied resemblance to a cat.

4. Slang. a person who assumes a false identity or personality on the internet, especially on social media websites, as to deceive, manipulate, or swindle.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Slang. to deceive, swindle, etc., by assuming a false identity or personality online.

   He fell in love with her online before he realized he'd been catfished.

catfish British  

/ ˈkætˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of numerous mainly freshwater teleost fishes having whisker-like barbels around the mouth, esp the silurids of Europe and Asia and the horned pouts of North America

2. another name for wolffish

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Usage

What does catfish mean? Aside from being a delicious kind of river fish, a catfish is a slang term for someone who seduces a person with a false identity online.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catfish
  plural
• catfishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of catfish

First recorded in 1605–15; cat + fish

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catfish catfishes

When he was a teenager, Walters remembers, he dove into some catfish holes so vast he couldn’t find the back.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Despite their mudcat nickname, enormous catfish keep a surprisingly clean den.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Please note that the entry-level Model Y retains the previous, grumpy catfish face, for the sullen ichthyologist in your life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Anik African Store has brought a small corner of Nigeria to the Scottish town, selling yams, plantain, okra and catfish.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Minnows and catfish can recognize each member of their own species by his particular, person-specific odor.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Today's lungfish and some catfishes can propel themselves along land for short periods with their fins.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 17, 2020

Instead, the show has emerged as pro-truth and genuineness as players who decide to be "100% authentic" are literally embraced more often than the catfishes are.

From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2020

Dr. Phil A woman who catfishes tells why she has been pretending to be a man online for so long and meets the man whose photo she's been using.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2018

“Since the 1960s there have been rumors of sightings of blind, white catfishes in that area, but this is the first confirmation,” ichthyologist Dean Hendrickson said in a statement.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2016

One of the Guiana catfishes, known as Aspredo, very much resembles her countrywoman the Surinam toad in her nursery arrangements.

From Science in Arcady by Grant Allen