angler

American  

[ang-gler] / ˈæŋ glər /

noun

1. a person who fishes with a hook and line.

2. a person who gets or tries to get something through scheming.

3. Also called allmouth, anglerfish, goosefish, lotte, monkfish.  any large pediculate fish of the family Lophiidae, especially Lophius americanus, found along the Atlantic coast of America, having an immense mouth and a large, depressed head to which is attached a wormlike filament for luring prey.

4. Also called anglerfish.  any of various related fishes of the order Lophiiformes.

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angler British  

/ ˈæŋɡlə /

noun

1. a person who fishes with a rod and line

2. informal a person who schemes or uses devious methods to secure an advantage

3. Also called: angler fish.  any spiny-finned fish of the order Pediculati (or Lophiiformes ). They live at the bottom of the sea and typically have a long spiny movable dorsal fin with which they lure their prey

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Etymology

Origin of angler

First recorded in 1545–55; angle ² + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“They offer a light, you know? They’re kind of like angler fish … You’re down and you’re in this darkness, and you see a light,” reflects Schwaebe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 14, 2025

Redditch angler Mark Downes, who manages Team England, has also been appointed an MBE for services to angling.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2024

Michigan and Wisconsin, for example, allow an angler to take only one sturgeon per year.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2024

An Arizona angler, Stuart Black, reached out and invited Lackmann to a fishing expedition at Apache Lake, where the fish collected would be donated to science.

From Science Daily • Oct. 30, 2023

The angler fish had recovered itself and was swimming in circles.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young