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• chinook salmon
  chinook salmon

  noun

  a large salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, found in the North Pacific Ocean.
• Chinook salmon
  Chinook salmon

  noun

  a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, valued as a food fish

chinook salmon

American  

[shi-nook sam-uhn, -nook, chi-] / ʃɪˈnʊk ˈsæm ən, -ˈnuk, tʃɪ- /

noun

1. a large salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, found in the North Pacific Ocean.

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Chinook salmon British  

noun

1. Also called: quinnat salmon.   king salmon.  a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, valued as a food fish

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Etymology

Origin of chinook salmon

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chinook salmon Chinook salmon

Since Dec. 1, 1,274 threatened spring-run chinook salmon and 353 endangered winter-run chinook salmon have been killed in the pumps, including wild and hatchery-raised salmon, the latest data show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

Recent research has found 6PPD-quinone to be similarly lethal to other fish species, including brook trout, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, and white-spotted char.

From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2023

Southern resident killer whales eat chinook salmon, which are also endangered due to habitat degradation and other threats.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 30, 2023

Even though the orcas don’t eat the porpoises, their victims are mostly calves that are about the same size as chinook salmon.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 30, 2023

He and Harry Secor had worked together to stalk the giant chinook salmon of the Dungeness River.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

As the state has relied heavily on its water, native fish such as Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and longfin smelt have declined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

In 2024, the Chinook salmon fishery was hit hard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

We’re not like the Chinook salmon that seek out upriver spawning zones or feline species that go into heat each spring and summer.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025

Commercial fishing for Chinook salmon has been banned along the California coast for the last three years for lack of fish, while a limited recreational fishing season was permitted this year after a two-year closure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025

"It's Royal Chinook salmon that I caught in the fish derby on the Columbia River only last—" Mrs. MacDonald colored suddenly.

From The House from Nowhere by Arthur G. Stangland