rainbow trout

American

noun

a trout, Salmo gairdnerii, native in the coastal waters and streams from Baja California to Alaska, used as a food and game fish.

rainbow trout British

noun

a freshwater trout of North American origin, Salmo gairdneri , having a body marked with many black spots and two longitudinal red stripes

"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

Etymology

Origin of rainbow trout

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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:

rainbow trout

“The water is so pure you can drink it,” it read, “so clean even rainbow trout will thrive in it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Excursions with Vail Valley Anglers, booked through the hotel, offer a chance to cast for brown and rainbow trout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Fish species affected included largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and stocked species such as brown trout and rainbow trout.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

Fishing: At Trinity Lake, you can rent a deck boat, pontoon boat or houseboat and try your hand at catching large and smallmouth bass, rainbow trout and Kokanee salmon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025

I brought in a ten-inch rainbow trout and skidded him up on the grass and knocked him on the head.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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