filefish

American

[fahyl-fish] / ˈfaɪlˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of several flattened marine fishes of the family Monacanthidae, having an elongated head with a small mouth and small, spiny scales.
a triggerfish.

filefish British

/ ˈfaɪlˌfɪʃ /

noun

any tropical triggerfish, such as Alutera scripta , having a narrow compressed body and a very long dorsal spine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of filefish

First recorded in 1765–75; file ² + fish

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Species such as the orange-spotted filefish are completely dependent on coral reefs, and highly sensitive to warmer water.

From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2017

This is a curious strategy shared among the boxfish’s closest relatives, the other fish of the order Tetraodontiformes, a branch of the fish family tree including similarly rigid-bodied fish like pufferfish and filefish.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2015

"We've discovered plastic debris like fishing floats and orange-juice bottle caps in addition to squid, filefish, sea horses, sardines, crabs, small jacks, even baby dolphin, sailfish and blue marlin."

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023