grouper

¹ American  

[groo-per] / ˈgru pər /

noun

grouperer, plural groupers plural

1. any of various sea basses of the family Serranidae, especially of the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca, of tropical and subtropical seas.

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grouper ² American  

[groo-per] / ˈgru pər /

noun

1. a member of a group, as of tourists.

2. Slang. a member of a group of usually young and single persons who rent and share a house or apartment, as at a summer resort.

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grouper British  

/ ˈɡruːpə /

noun

1. a variant of groper

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grouperer
  plural
• groupers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grouper¹

First recorded in 1680–90, grouper is from the Portuguese word garupa, of uncertain origin

Origin of grouper²

First recorded in 1930–35; group + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grouper groupers

Pina said the expedition's scientists were also disappointed to find few larger specimens of fish like grouper, snapper and sharks even on Cuban reefs that appeared otherwise healthy.

From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2023

Shark had been cut into small chunks on a nearby countertop—mako, she said—but the order she’s preparing calls for grouper and shrimp, so she adds those instead.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 17, 2023

In Dakar, the capital and largest city, nutritionist Codou Kébé said the loss of grouper means more than just the loss of a national symbol.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

Alaskan crab is famously in a catch share, along with red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.

From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2023

Next thing you know, some nosy neighbor calls the grouper troopers and then, Houston, we’ve got a problem.”

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

If the reefs collapse, so will some bigger fish stocks, like tuna and groupers.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024

In 2021, he was awarded the grand prize for capturing a trio of groupers in the act of spawning.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2023

Algae, sponges and other invertebrates are all proliferating in the reserves, and commercial fish species like groupers have three times the biomass of those in unprotected waters.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2022

“If I don’t farm groupers, what else can I do to live?”

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2022

He wondered if groupers were subject to heart failure from shock.

From The Wailing Octopus by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)