lanternfish

or lan·tern fish

[ lan-tern-fish ]

/ ˈlæn tərnˌfɪʃ /

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

any of several small, deep-sea fishes of the family Myctophidae, having rows of luminous organs along each side, certain species of which migrate to the surface at night.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of lanternfish

First recorded in 1745–55; lantern + fish

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

How to use lanternfish in a sentence

When Chérif got out of prison, he worked at the fish counter of a supermarket.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The government just wanted to catch the big fish [in the Juarez cartel] and they ignored everything in between,” Lozoya said.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Kocurek documented the scene with notes and diagrams, and called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer corroborated another account.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A Fish and Wildlife special agent collected the bodies of two birds at the site, a redhead duck and a mourning dove.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He must be The saltest fish that swims the sea.And, oh!He has a secret woe!
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
He looked up from his fish and replied, somewhat cuttingly, "By contesting a borough and getting elected."
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Smoking, the angry and fuming king protests, had made our manners as rude as those of the fish-wives of Dieppe.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
But what if I catch the fish by using a hired boat and a hired net, or by buying worms as bait from some one who has dug them?
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The Taube has been bothering us again, but wound up its manœuvres very decently by killing some fish for our dinner.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for lanternfish

lantern fish

noun

any small deep-sea teleost fish of the family Myctophidae, having a series of luminescent spots along the body

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