pilot fish
Britishnoun
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a small carangid fish, Naucrates ductor, of tropical and subtropical seas, marked with dark vertical bands: often accompanies sharks and other large fishes
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any of various similar or related fishes
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.
“They’re like pilot fish eating off the back of the shark,” said Jonathan Bush, a founder of Athenahealth, a health technology company that has developed electronic medical records and billing systems.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022
If Frieze is the shark, they’re the pilot fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2020
Ani Alvarado, her two young sons trailing close behind like pilot fish, sliced nimbly through the crowd.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2018
Also, landing the Amazon behemoth would bring along with it a school of pilot fish, prospects such as contractors and suppliers looking to locate nearby.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2018
Often, Ben had watched Jim Don walking the halls of school escorted by Ansley and a school of pilot fish mainly composed of third string football players.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
