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

Under a tent, Irma Spears’s brother fried up 240 pounds of catfish and buffalo fish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026

Fish species affected included largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and stocked species such as brown trout and rainbow trout.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026

"A few years ago, I used to catch big fish like captains and catfish but because of the pollution, they've moved further out to sea," fisherman Gilby Mwana-Fioti told AFP.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Mariani told the BBC: "In my experience with fish and chips, three out of 10 is quite a lot - I don't recall seeing this level of catfish."

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

I fished for catfish at Hubbard Lake or some of the other lakes.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson