grouper

¹ American  

[groo-per] / ˈgru pər /

noun

grouperer, plural groupers plural

1. any of various sea basses of the family Serranidae, especially of the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca, of tropical and subtropical seas.

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grouper ² American  

[groo-per] / ˈgru pər /

noun

1. a member of a group, as of tourists.

2. Slang. a member of a group of usually young and single persons who rent and share a house or apartment, as at a summer resort.

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grouper British  

/ ˈɡruːpə /

noun

1. a variant of groper

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grouperer
  plural
• groupers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grouper¹

First recorded in 1680–90, grouper is from the Portuguese word garupa, of uncertain origin

Origin of grouper²

First recorded in 1930–35; group + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grouper groupers

In the Atlantic Ocean, thousands of grouper, a type of reef fish highly valued by fishers, congregate around and inside shipwrecks.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2023

Pina said the expedition's scientists were also disappointed to find few larger specimens of fish like grouper, snapper and sharks even on Cuban reefs that appeared otherwise healthy.

From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2023

Shark had been cut into small chunks on a nearby countertop—mako, she said—but the order she’s preparing calls for grouper and shrimp, so she adds those instead.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 17, 2023

My fishmonger had halibut, but any firm, white-fleshed fish, such as sea bass or grouper, can be baked with great results.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2023

Next thing you know, some nosy neighbor calls the grouper troopers and then, Houston, we’ve got a problem.”

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

If the reefs collapse, so will some bigger fish stocks, like tuna and groupers.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024

In 2021, he was awarded the grand prize for capturing a trio of groupers in the act of spawning.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2023

By the time Chen Chien-chih, 50, took over his family’s fish farming business in the plains of southern Taiwan five years ago, groupers were already one of the company’s main exports.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2022

The groupers are another population of generally slow-growing fishes that, in the Caribbean, includes a number of species that are at risk of extinction from overfishing.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

He bided his time for vengeance, and used his sword on crabs and flatfish and fat groupers.

From Children of the Wild by Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir