kingfish

[ king-fish ]

See synonyms for kingfish on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural (especially collectively) king·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) king·fish·es.

any of several marine food fishes of the drum family, especially of the genus Menticirrhus, found off the eastern coast of the United States.
Also called white croaker. a marine food fish, Genyonemus lineatus, found off the Californian coast.

king mackerel.
a large game fish, Seriola grandis, found in Australia and New Zealand, closely related to the yellowtail.
any of various other fishes noted especially for their size.
Informal. a person regarded as a leader or authority: a kingfish in Democratic Party circles.

Origin of kingfish

First recorded in 1740–50; king + fish

Words Nearby kingfish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kingfish in a sentence

The "kingfish" popularized the catch phrase "Holy Mackerel!"
Herman Cain’s Failure to Be a ‘MackDaddy’ Killed His Campaign | Mansfield Frazier | December 4, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
A correspondent wrote that Johnson’s attack had managed to transform the kingfish ‘from a clown into a real political menace.
How to Beat the Demagogues | Michael Signer | March 27, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
We had Father Coughlin and the kingfish, Huey Long, railing against Franklin Roosevelt.
Introducing Beast Books | Tina Brown | January 22, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
But as I fish for sailfish with a free-running reel, of course I am exasperated when a kingfish takes hold.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
kingfish are savage strikers and they almost invariably hook themselves when the drag is set.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey

Their feeding habits are similar to those of the kingfish, and in their season they can be captured in the same way.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others | James Alexander Henshall
It is frequently caught by the Key West fishermen when trolling for kingfish with a bait of bacon-rind.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others | James Alexander Henshall
My brother pulled in this kingfish, which was small, and we rebaited our hooks and went on again.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for kingfish

kingfish

/ (ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃ) /

nounplural -fish or -fishes

any marine sciaenid food and game fish of the genus Menticirrhus, occurring in warm American Atlantic coastal waters
another name for opah

any of various other large food fishes, esp the Spanish mackerel
Also called: (NZ) haku a large food and game fish, Seriola lalandi lalandi, of New Zealand waters

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

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