Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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.


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.


grouper British  
/ ˈɡruːpə /

noun

  1. a variant of groper

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


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

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 restaurant, which has served dishes like hot-pot grouper and tofu, and sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple to Torontonians for nearly 50 years, was briefly name-checked in “Euphoria.”

From New York Times ● May 6, 2024

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

In our southernmost state, lionfish wreak havoc on the food supply of native fish like grouper and snapper and their overconsumption of herbivorous fish results in damage to the reefs that line the Florida coast.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2023

Santander-Neto and I eventually order the grouper and shrimp muqueca.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 17, 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

The overexploitation of parrotfish and other groupers threatens 63 percent of coral reef ecosystems.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

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

The groupers were ready for harvest, but since the ban took effect a week ago he has not received orders from fish traders who would normally be calling at this time of the year.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2022

Then came retribution, for, from a crevice in a near-by rock, out shot the eel-like form of a green moray and disposed of one of the groupers in short order.

From The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries by Francis Rolt-Wheeler

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com