flathead
noun
any of several scorpaenoid fishes of the family Platycephalidae, chiefly inhabiting waters of the Indo-Pacific region and used for food.
flathead
1 American
[flat-hed]
/ ˈflætˌhɛd /
noun
-
flathead,
plural
-
flatheads
plural
Flathead
2
American
[flat-hed]
/ ˈflætˌhɛd /
noun
-
Also called Bitterroot Salish. a member of an Indigenous people of northwest Montana.
-
a member of a confederated nation of Salish and Kootenay peoples, established in 1855 and located in northwest Montana.
-
a member of the Chinook people.
adjective
Flathead
3
American
[flat-hed]
/ ˈflætˌhɛd /
noun
flathead
British
/ ˈflætˌhɛd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of flathead1
First recorded in 1825–35; flat 1 + head
Origin of Flathead2
First recorded in 1530–40; so called from their supposed practice of binding infants' heads to create a longer, flatter skull shape; the peoples currently known as Flatheads did not engage in this custom
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.
See Examples For:
Also known as grabblers or hand-fishermen, noodlers use their own bare limbs as bait to catch enormous flathead catfish lurking in Southern and Midwestern rivers, creeks, and lakes.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 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
“I’ve seen gar, but I ain’t never seen a gar with a head shaped like this,” Smith said in an interview, explaining that he first thought his catch may have been a flathead catfish.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2021
The record was previously held by a 78-pound flathead hooked in the Cape Fear River in September 2005.
From Fox News ● Jul. 28, 2020
He ran his beam along the galley floor, then knelt with a flathead screwdriver in his hand and pried ajar the battery well cover.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Along with hundreds of homes, the developer plans an 18-hole golf course and a marina on aquamarine Flathead Lake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Yes, the event is meant to feature Flathead Valley in the greater Montana and celebrate all the great things that are going on there, which are all 100% unique.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2024
An indictment publicly released on Wednesday alleges that they killed birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and elsewhere.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2023
A Native American boarding school school in the town of St. Ignatius on the Flathead Reservation was open until at least 1973.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Flathead Rufus wras still trying to punk Hazel out of a diamond, oblivious to Fake Leo’s arrival.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
At night flatheads and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 13, 2019
Fisheries officials say the rule changes are needed because there’s been a noticeable uptick in the demand for big flatheads and blues, which have been fetching $2 or more a pound at pay lakes.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2014
His bait of choice is live bluegill for the more predatory flatheads.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2014
In those shows, anglers often employ a bizarre fishing method called “noodling” in which massive flatheads are caught by people sticking their hands into a fish’s underwater lair.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2014
Well," says I, "I think they are a pack of flatheads for not keeping the palace themselves 'stead of fooling them away like that.
From The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer's Comrade by Mark Twain
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
