halibut
Americannoun
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either of two large flatfishes, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, of the North Atlantic, or H. stenolepis, of the North Pacific, used for food.
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any of various other similar flatfishes.
noun
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the largest flatfish: a dark green North Atlantic species, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, that is a very important food fish: family Pleuronectidae
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any of several similar and related flatfishes, such as Reinhardtius hippoglossoides ( Greenland halibut )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of halibut
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English halybutte, equivalent to haly (variant of holy ) + butte “flat fish” (from Middle Dutch ); so called because eaten on holy days. Compare Dutch heilbot, German Heilbutt
Explanation
A halibut is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of its body. Halibut are native to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. With its oddly placed eyes, this coldwater fish resembles a young child's drawing. A baby halibut is more symmetrical at birth, with an eye on each side of its head. At about six months old, the fish goes through a metamorphosis that leaves it with both eyes on one side. There are many flatfish, but the halibut is the largest. The name derives from roots meaning "holy flatfish," a reference to the Christian tradition of eating fish on holy days.
Vocabulary lists containing halibut
Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Amazing Animals, List 3
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 2
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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:
For a decade, the combination of Danish subsidies, infrastructure investment and rising global prices for halibut, cod and shrimp have helped keep the economy ticking over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Born in Seattle, Kawahara was a professional fisherman who focused on salmon, albacore tuna and halibut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2025
All Atlantic salmon, basa, halibut, mackerel, sockeye salmon and Pacific white shrimp were as advertised.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2024
For its owner, Greenlandic company Polar Seafoods, which sells shrimps, crab and halibut, shorter and direct flights mean new business possibilities.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2024
Gape, openmouthed, like the rockfish and halibut you stare at all day.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
When he warns about pollution—“the halibuts and the sturgeons are being wiped out by detergents”—Mr Lehrer could have been singing yesterday.
From Economist ● Oct. 31, 2017
Displayed on her deck were weird bits of equipment: submarine scooters, deep-sea motion-picture-taking devices called "halibuts," and an anti-shark cage.
From Time Magazine Archive
To a hungry boy what is there better than such a halibut, unless it be two halibuts?
From The Knights of the White Shield Up-the-Ladder Club Series, Round One Play by Rand, Edward A.
The halibuts, are cut into pieces on account of their great size, and are then salted; in which state they are very good eating.
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.
