sockeye

British

/ ˈsɒkˌaɪ /

noun

Also called: red salmon. a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, having red flesh and valued as a food fish

"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

Etymology

Origin of sockeye

by folk etymology from Salishan sukkegh

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.

In coho and sockeye salmon, parasite levels remained steady.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Whilst bears are generally solitary, this one was heading to feast with others on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver from the Pacific to their origin lake to spawn.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2025

The cans, set aside to monitor packaging integrity over time, contained chum, coho, pink, and sockeye salmon caught in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay from 1979 to 2021.

From Science Magazine • May 7, 2024

Meanwhile, adult sockeye salmon have been trucked around the canal and lake to boost their survival.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

I took the hint, and said no more of family matters, but talked of the fishing and the prospects of a good sockeye run this season.

From The Moccasin Maker by Mair, Charles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023