herring

American  

[her-ing] / ˈhɛr ɪŋ /

noun

plural

herring,

plural

herrings

1. an important food fish, Clupea harengus harengus, found in enormous shoals in the North Atlantic.

2. a similar fish, Clupea harengus pallasii, of the North Pacific.

3. any fish of the family Clupeidae, including herrings, shads, and sardines.

4. any of various fishes resembling the herring but of unrelated families.

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herring British  

/ ˈhɛrɪŋ /

noun

1. any marine soft-finned teleost fish of the family Clupeidae, esp Clupea harengus, an important food fish of northern seas, having an elongated body covered, except in the head region, with large fragile silvery scales

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herring Idioms  

1. see dead as a doornail (herring); red herring.

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Other Word Forms

• herringlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of herring

before 900; Middle English hering, Old English hǣring; cognate with German Häring

Example Sentences

Red herrings pop up and disappear, a climactic series of revelations indicates hidden villainy, and every detail feels ho-hum.

From The Wall Street Journal

A piece of herring—pickled, stewed or fried—constituted a weekday treat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, the audience is being thrown enough red herrings to be barking like seals.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I have never paid for anything with herring,” began Molly.

From Literature

Rather than seeking common ground, Sacks calls criticism "a red herring" from AI doomers "who want all progress to stop."

From Barron's