Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

spadefish

American  
[speyd-fish] / ˈspeɪdˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

spadefish,

plural

spadefishes

  1. a deep-bodied marine fish of the genus Chaetodipterus, especially C. faber of Atlantic coastal waters of North America.

spadefish British  
/ ˈspeɪdˌfɪʃ /

noun

  1. any spiny-finned food fish of the family Ephippidae, esp Chaetodipterus faber of American Atlantic coastal waters, having a deeply compressed body

"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 spadefish

First recorded in 1695–1705; probably spade 2 + fish, in allusion to its shape

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.

He said he has seen striped bass at the reef, as well as spadefish, which are typically found in Virginia, and black sea bass, which are new to the area.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2010

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.