needlefish

American

[need-l-fish] / ˈnid lˌfɪʃ /

noun

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

needlefish British

/ ˈniːdəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of needlefish

First recorded in 1595–1605; needle + fish

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.

Two needlefish jetted from the water and nearly landed in the cockpit.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2019

Now, a tooth left in Loumoli�s wound has revealed his attacker�s identity: It was a crocodile needlefish, known as the �living javelin.�

From Time Magazine Archive

Mono tangles less, so I'll use it in 20-pound when throwing poppers or needlefish.

From Time Magazine Archive

With a bottle plug or needlefish, pump the tip lightly, using a stop-and-go retrieve.

From Time Magazine Archive

The water boiled and a barracuda broke the surface, slashing through a school of needlefish.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023