sardine
1 Americannoun
-
the pilchard, Sardina pilchardus, often preserved in oil and used for food.
-
any of various similar, closely related fishes of the herring family Clupeidae.
noun
noun
-
any of various small marine food fishes of the herring family, esp a young pilchard See also sild
-
very closely crowded together
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sardine1
1400–50; late Middle English sardeine < Middle French sardine < Latin sardīna, derivative of sarda sardine, noun use of feminine of Sardus Sardinian
Origin of sardine2
1300–50; Middle English (< Late Latin sardīnus ) < Greek sárdinos sardius
Explanation
A sardine is a very small, oily fish. You might like to eat sardines on toast for lunch. If you do, we suggest an after-lunch mint may be in order. Sardines are most often bought canned, lined up in rows in little tins. The word sardine is actually a general term — it refers to a type of fish, most often a small herring, while a slightly larger one is sometimes called a pilchard. The phrase "packed like sardines," describing people crowded together in a tight spot like an elevator or a subway car, comes from the way sardines look in cans. The word itself comes from the Mediterranean island Sardinia.
Vocabulary lists containing sardine
Inside Out & Back Again
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Amazing Animals, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
They’re each playing tiny instruments — one a half-open sardine can, another a stringed matchbook.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
“Better than being an old sardine tin with a few fins left in it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
"I get to avoid the rush hour and being packed in like a sardine," says the 23-year-old in Salford, Greater Manchester.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
They attributed the first period of weight loss to greater numbers of Japanese sardine, which increased competition with other species for food.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2024
Anna May ordered her sardine sandwich and I asked for egg salad.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
"At least today they gave us some rice, spaghetti and sardines."
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Tinned fish works beautifully, especially tuna, mackerel or sardines.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
With 32 men in a boat designed for 25, Short recalled, “it was like sardines in a tin.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Some fish feed by filtering water, including mackerel, sardines, and anchovies.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025
Sometimes Rasheed brought home sardines in a can and brittle, dried bread that tasted like sawdust.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
