rockfish

American  

[rok-fish] / ˈrɒkˌfɪʃ /

noun

rockfish, plural rockfishes plural

1. any of various fishes found among rocks.

2. striped bass.

3. any of the North Pacific and Atlantic marine fishes of the genus Sebastes.

4. scorpionfish.

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rockfish British  

/ ˈrɒkˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various fishes that live among rocks, esp scorpaenid fishes of the genus Sebastodes and related genera, such as S. caurinus ( copper rockfish ) of North American Pacific coastal waters

2. Formerly called: rock salmon.  any of several coarse fishes when used as food, esp the dogfish or wolffish

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rockfish
  plural
• rockfishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rockfish

First recorded in 1590–1600; rock ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

“Some people are bringing in black cod or rockfish or albacore,” Bates told me.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2024

I grew up fishing with my dad on Fauntleroy Cove, feasting on fried rockfish and falling asleep to ferryboat foghorns.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2023

Deepwater corals extend off the pilings like branching trees, and shoals of striped rockfish that make up roughly 90 percent of the species of fish associated with the platform’s habitat.

From National Geographic • Aug. 8, 2023

The housemade couscous was topped with sweet, delicate rockfish cooked in tomato broth for a soothing lunch we'd see variations of across the island over the ensuing days.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 2023

That evening Mom fried a rockfish and served one of her applesauce cakes for dessert.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings