salmon

[ sam-uhn ]

/ ˈsæm ən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for salmon on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural salm·ons, (especially collectively) salm·on for 1-3.

a marine and freshwater food fish, Salmo salar, of the family Salmonidae, having pink flesh, inhabiting waters off the North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America near the mouths of large rivers, which it enters to spawn.

landlocked salmon.

any of several salmonoid food fishes of the genus Oncorhynchus, inhabiting the North Pacific Ocean.

a light yellowish-pink.

adjective

of the color salmon.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of salmon

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English salmoun, samoun, from Anglo-French from Old French saumon, or directly fromLatin salmōn-, stem of salmō

OTHER WORDS FROM salmon

salm·on·like, adjective

Words nearby salmon

sally port, salmagundi, Salmanazar, salmi, salmis, salmon, salmonberry, salmon brick, Salmond, salmonella, salmonellosis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use salmon in a sentence

Overfishing—when we take fish out of their natural habitat at a rate too fast for them to keep up with in terms of replenishing the supply—has depleted wild populations of halibut, monkfish, tuna, and salmon, among others.
This Startup Is Growing Sushi-Grade Salmon From Cells in a Lab|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
Masu salmon, the species most common in these rivers at this time of year, are among the smallest of all salmon.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
The masu have the most constricted range of any Pacific salmon, largely confined to the Sea of Japan, around the island of Sakhalin, and in western Kamchatka.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
You are made of Mill Creek water, the fruit from our trees, Swanton berries, and Pacific salmon.
We Lost Our Home to a Wildfire|Wallace J. Nichols|August 25, 2020|Outside Online

Human activity has reduced the number of Chinook salmon, which is the favorite food of these orcas.
Conservation is going to the dogs|Alison Pearce Stevens|April 2, 2020|Science News For Students
Chickens require significantly less land, water, and energy than all other meat options except farmed salmon.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plus, the Spey, one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world, bordered the south side of the estate.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By Whiskey||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You will find one of the best places on earth to go salmon fishing.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By Whiskey||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are an undressed salad compared to a Pacific wild salmon.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The state of Idaho paid a bounty hunter to kill wolves in the Salmon River country.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I want to go into camp there in the early spring—have invited Hofer and one or two others for salmon-fishing.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
She had submitted to giving up the salmon, but the devil himself should not cheat her out of her dessert.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
He allowed himself to be cut free from the salmon line and dragged behind a kind of housemaid's closet at the foot of the stairs.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
As we sat there, we heard noises, not very harmonious, interrupting the song of the salmon-fishers.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker
No two classes of people could be more unlike than the salmon-fishers of Sunburst and the mill-hands and river-drivers of Viking.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for salmon

salmon

/ (ˈsæmən) /

noun plural -ons or -on

any soft-finned fish of the family Salmonidae, esp Salmo salar of the Atlantic and Oncorhynchus species (sockeye, Chinook, etc) of the Pacific, which are important food fishes. They occur in cold and temperate waters and many species migrate to fresh water to spawn

Australian any of several unrelated fish, esp the Australian salmon

short for salmon pink

Word Origin for salmon

C13: from Old French saumon, from Latin salmō; related to Late Latin salar trout

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

salmon

Origin of salmon

OTHER WORDS FROM salmon

Words nearby salmon

Words related to salmon

How to use salmon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for salmon

Word Origin for salmon