herring

[ her-ing ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) her·ring, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) her·rings.

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.

herring

/ 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

Other Words From

• herring·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of herring¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of herring¹

Old English hǣring; related to Old High German hāring, Old Frisian hēring, Dutch haring

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

With the red herring out of the way, XENONnT researchers are now combing through their data for nuclear recoils, in hopes of detecting the real deal.

From Science News

Fish meal and fish oil from anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring, and other small forage fish comprise 25 to 30 percent of most salmon feed.

From Time

These myths are a huge problem because they’re red herrings.

From Search Engine Watch

At this point, zeroing in on RT as the source of authoritarian disinformation is a red herring.

From The Daily Beast

I think the outdoor sports situation might be something of a red herring here.

From Outside Online

Koenig makes a big deal out of this call and frames it as a massive red herring.

From The Daily Beast

Nevertheless, Brian Rogers, a McCain aide pushed back against UANI, calling the Rio Tinto-Iran connection “a red herring.”

From The Daily Beast

This can easily be mistaken for a kipper, the smoked herring that is on the breakfast menus of many British hotels.

From The Daily Beast

“All the recent notoriety is just an added bonus to the fact that we are doing what we love,” says Herring.

From The Daily Beast

“I feel like a lot of people missed it,” says Herring, despondently.

From The Daily Beast

During the other seasons there are other kinds of fish, but at that time it was the Herring season.

From Project Gutenberg

He forgets, you see, that he possessed an unusual constitution, and the temperament of a Norwegian herring.

From Project Gutenberg

The Judge inquired if that was the sole object of the plaintiff, or was it not rather baiting with a sprat to catch a herring?

From Project Gutenberg

There are an extensive mackerel and herring fishery, and motor engineering works.

From Project Gutenberg

But we have to discuss the red-herring, not of the artful politician, anxious to dodge his hearers, but of the breakfast-table.

From Project Gutenberg