sailfish

[seyl-fish]

noun, plural (especially collectively) sail·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) sail·fish·es.

a large tropical and subtropical marine fish, Istiophorus platypterus, of the family Istiophoridae, distinguished by a long, high dorsal fin, long pelvic fins, and a double keel on each side of the tail.

any of several related fishes having a high dorsal fin.

Nearby words

Origin of sailfish

First recorded in 1585–95; sail + fish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sailfish

And the obvious reason is that nobody seems to take the trouble to get what might be proper bait for sailfish.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
Sailfish would jump around us for a while and then they would stop.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
I never liked it, but with the sailfish I at least was not nervous about him attacking the boat.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
But the proportion held about the same, although I consider that fishing for a sailfish and catching one is a great gain in point.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey

We stowed him up in the bow and got under way again, and scarcely had I let my bait far enough astern when a sailfish hit it.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for sailfish

sailfish

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any of several large scombroid game fishes of the genus Istiophorus, such as I. albicans (Atlantic sailfish), of warm and tropical seas: family Istiophoridae. They have an elongated upper jaw and a long sail-like dorsal fin

another name for basking shark

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