salmon
Americannoun
plural
salmons,plural
salmon-
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.
-
any of several salmonoid food fishes of the genus Oncorhynchus, inhabiting the North Pacific Ocean.
-
a light yellowish-pink.
adjective
noun
-
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
-
any of several unrelated fish, esp the Australian salmon
-
short for salmon pink
Other Word Forms
- salmonlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of salmon
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English salmoun, samoun, from Anglo-French from Old French saumon, or directly from Latin salmōn-, stem of salmō
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.
Newsom touted the effort in his 2024 salmon strategy, which featured a smiling photograph of Winnemem Wintu Chief and spiritual leader Caleen Sisk next to Chuck Bonham, then-director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
The drought years of the early 2020s decimated the eggs, which prompted emergency action even before Newsom announced his salmon plan.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
However, relatively few players in salmon or navy blue shone as Steve Clarke's side succumbed to successive 1-0 defeats.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
Alaska's waters support one of the world's most important salmon fisheries, sustained by complex marine food webs.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
It looked like he immediately regretted his decision, because he made a face like he had just swallowed cardboard, and spit out the salmon onto the ground in front of everyone.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
