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pilotfish

American  
[pahy-luht-fish] / ˈpaɪ lətˌfɪʃ /

noun

pilotfish, plural pilotfishes plural
  1. a small, marine fish, Naucrates ductor, often swimming with sharks.

  2. any of various other fishes having similar habits.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of pilotfish

First recorded in 1625–35; pilot + 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.

See Examples For:

More than any of his rivals, Cruz has steered clear of public fights with Trump, or as Wilson described it, Cruz has been "like a pilotfish to Trump's very large white shark."

From Reuters Dec. 15, 2015

Manhattan ship news reporters generally are as adept at prying information out of incoming celebrities as the pilotfish is in deriving sustenance from the shark.

From Time Magazine Archive

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