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  • marlin
    marlin
    noun
    any large, saltwater game fish of the genera Makaira and Tetrapterus, having the upper jaw elongated into a spearlike structure.
  • Marlin
    Marlin
    noun
    a male given name.

marlin

1 American  
[mahr-lin] / ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun

marlin, plural marlins plural
  1. any large, saltwater game fish of the genera Makaira and Tetrapterus, having the upper jaw elongated into a spearlike structure.


Marlin 2 American  
[mahr-lin] / ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun

  1. a male given name.


marlin British  
/ ˈmɑːlɪn /

noun

  1. Also called: spearfish.  any of several large scombroid food and game fishes of the genera Makaira, Istiompax, and Tetrapturus, of warm and tropical seas, having a very long upper jaw: family Istiophoridae

"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

Etymology

Origin of marlin

1915–20, short for marlinespike

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.

His passion is fishing — Bagby dreams of reeling in a deep-sea marlin — but no hobby can nourish his soul as much as helping others.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2025

At the Oistins Fish Market in Bridgetown, flying fish are still available, along with marlin, mahi-mahi and tuna, though only a handful of stalls are open.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

"We already have footage of hunting behavior of sailfish and mahi mahi where we have seen even more pronounced and more variable color change than in the marlin," Burns says.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2024

For decades, Wild Oceans focused its efforts on tuna, marlin, swordfish, and sharks—in other words, big fish.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2024

The gleaming sportfisherman was tied stem-first to a wooden dock, where a monster blue marlin hung glassyeyed from a tall pole.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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