goby
Americannoun
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goby,
plural
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gobies
plural
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any small marine or freshwater fish of the family Gobiidae, often having the pelvic fins united to form a suctorial disk.
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any fish of the closely related family Eleotridae, having the pelvic fins separate.
noun
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any small spiny-finned fish of the family Gobiidae, of coastal or brackish waters, having a large head, an elongated tapering body, and the ventral fins modified as a sucker
-
any other gobioid fish
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goby
1760–70; < Latin gōbius gudgeon (spelling variant of gōbiō or cōbius ) < Greek kōbiós
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:
The other factor in the region’s monster-sized smallmouth population is environmental: The arrival and prevalence of goby fish, an invasive species which arrived in the 1990s and became a smallmouth-fattening buffet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
They have seen spider crabs taking a stroll, starfish, king scallops and goby fish.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Topanga Creek is home to another endangered fish, the small but hardy northern tidewater goby, often described as cute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Spies said goby populations were lost during the Woolsey blaze and the monster Thomas fire that preceded it in 2017.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
Ripple was a type of fish called a goby.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
None of the gobies reproduced in captivity, but some of the females were “gravid” — or full of eggs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
Brenton Spies, a lecturer at Cal State University Channel Islands with goby expertise, said gobies play a critical role in the food chain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
The gobies were first documented in Topanga Lagoon in 2001.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
To acclimate the gobies to their new/old home, water from the lagoon was slowly added to two coolers where the fish were hanging out nearby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
Roz scrolled through her computer brain for information about gobies and about all the other creatures who were a little different.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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