parrotfish

American  

[par-uht-fish] / ˈpær ətˌfɪʃ /

noun

parrotfish, plural parrotfishes plural

1. any of various chiefly tropical marine fishes, especially of the family Scaridae: so called because of their brilliant coloring and the shape of their jaws.

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parrotfish British  

/ ˈpærətˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any brightly coloured tropical marine percoid fish of the family Scaridae, having parrot-like jaws

2. any of various brightly coloured marine fish of the family Labridae

3. any of various similar fishes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• parrotfish
  plural
• parrotfishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parrotfish parrotfishes

On one trip, Quezon caught three kilograms of parrotfish, worth only 300 pesos—just enough to pay for fuel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

When the waters south of Miami turned Jacuzzi hot this summer, topping out at 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Manatee Bay, scientists agonized over the impact on parrotfish, grunts, spiny lobsters and coral reefs.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 8, 2023

Sure enough, the fake parrotfish passing above did not alarm the damselfish.

From DOGO News ● Sep. 7, 2023

However, hiding behind a larger nonpredatory fish, such as a parrotfish, until its prey is within striking range seems to be one of its favorite hunting strategies.

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

There are dolphins and parrotfish, hawksbill turtles and shovelnose sharks.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Around rat-free islands, parrotfishes, a group of herbivores, grazed the entire surface of the reef 9 times per year, whereas around rat-infested islands the equivalent figure was only 2.8 times per year.

From Nature ● Jul. 10, 2018