flying fish

American

noun

any fish of the family Exocoetidae, having stiff and greatly enlarged pectoral fins enabling it to glide considerable distances through the air after leaping from the water.
Astronomy. Flying Fish, the constellation Volans.

flying fish British

noun

any marine teleost fish of the family Exocoetidae , common in warm and tropical seas, having enlarged winglike pectoral fins used for gliding above the surface of the water

"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 flying fish

First recorded in 1505–15

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.

Flying fish leaped from our wake and crashed back into the water.

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2019

Flying fish: How all that high-priced sushi the tech titans eat in San Francisco gets there from Japan.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2017

Flying fish The officer, who commanded mine and ordnance clearance in the Falklands, says the mental strain becomes harder as he gets older.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2010

Flying fish and curious seabirds accompanied him throughout the voyage.

From Time Magazine Archive

Flying fish swam deep, and dolphins sported not.

From The Tarn of Eternity by Tymon, Frank

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