mackerel

American  

[mak-er-uhl, mak-ruhl] / ˈmæk ər əl, ˈmæk rəl /

noun

mackerels plural

1. a food fish, Scomber scombrus, of the North Atlantic, having wavy cross markings on the back.

2. Spanish mackerel.

3. any of various similar fishes, as the Atka mackerel.

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mackerel British  

/ ˈmækrəl /

noun

1. a spiny-finned food fish, Scomber scombrus, occurring in northern coastal regions of the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean: family Scombridae. It has a deeply forked tail and a greenish-blue body marked with wavy dark bands on the back Compare Spanish mackerel

2. any of various other fishes of the family Scombridae, such as Scomber colias (Spanish mackerel) and S. japonicus (Pacific mackerel)

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Etymology

Origin of mackerel

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, perhaps same word as Middle French maquerel pimp < Middle Dutch makelare broker (by metathesis), equivalent to makel ( en ) to bring together + -are -er ¹

Compare meaning

How does mackerel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• king mackerel vs. mackerel

Example Sentences

"We were chasing Spanish mackerel and had one eaten by a pack of six of them, four metres off the edge of the boat," he told AFP.

From Barron's • May 24, 2026

She has cultivated a down-to-earth image, posting photos on social media of her meal of tinned mackerel on rye bread and cleaning windows at home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Wildlife already appears on banknotes in the UK, with mackerel, otters, red squirrels and osprey featuring on notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Waitrose is to suspend sales of mackerel products due to concerns about overfishing.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Macon looked prouder than when she’d pulled in the mackerel.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn