killifish

American

[kil-ee-fish] / ˈkɪl iˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of several small, oviparous cyprinodont fishes, especially of the genus Fundulus, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.
any of several livebearers.

killifish British

/ ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of various chiefly American minnow-like cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and related genera, of fresh and brackish waters: used as aquarium fishes, to control mosquitoes, and as anglers' bait

"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

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of killifish

1805–15, perhaps kill ² + -i- (unexplained) + fish

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.

The new findings show that similar aging mechanisms also occur in more complex vertebrates like killifish and humans.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

The Brunet lab has played a leading role in establishing the killifish as a model organism.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

"Seeing these effects emerge so clearly in a rapid-aging model like our killifish was striking," Paulmann said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

She established and maintained the killifish colony at the Lab's Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

The plains killifish was collected by me only at Station 42-S.

From Fishes of the Big Blue River Basin, Kansas by Minckley, W. L.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023