needlefish

[ need-l-fish ]

/ ˈnid lˌfɪʃ /

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

any fish of the family Belonidae, of warm seas and coastal fresh waters, having a sharp beak and needlelike teeth.

a pipefish.

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Origin of needlefish

First recorded in 1595–1605; needle + fish

Words nearby needlefish

needle bearing, needle biopsy, needlecord, needlecraft, needle exchange, needlefish, needle fly, needleful, needle in a haystack, needlepoint, Needles

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

How to use needlefish in a sentence

Trailed along the surface of the water beneath kites, these worm-shaped lures attract strikes from needlefish—whose narrow mouths make them impossible to catch with hooks.
10 ways people hunt and fish without bullets or hooks|Steven Hill/Field & Stream|October 4, 2021|Popular-Science

British Dictionary definitions for needlefish

needlefish

/ (ˈniːdəlˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any ferocious teleost fish of the family Belonidae of warm and tropical regions, having an elongated body and long toothed jaws

another name for pipefish

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