spearfish

[ speer-fish ]

/ ˈspɪərˌfɪʃ /

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noun, plural (especially collectively) spear·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) spear·fish·es.

any of several fishes of the genus Tetrapturus, resembling the sailfish but having the first dorsal fin much less developed: inhabiting all seas, but rare.

any of several related fishes.

verb (used without object), spear·fished, spear·fish·ing.

to fish underwater using a spearlike implement used manually or propelled mechanically.

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Origin of spearfish

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; spear¹ + fish

Words nearby spearfish

speak up, speak volumes, spean, spear, spear carrier, spearfish, spearfisherman, spear grass, spear gun, spearhead, spearheaded

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

How to use spearfish in a sentence

Coming to the valley of the Spearfish I halted and slept my command until sundown, and then started for our lines.
Pony Tracks|Frederic Remington
It was a wild ride, but they reached Spearfish with no bones broken.
Roosevelt in the Bad Lands|H. Hagedorn.

British Dictionary definitions for spearfish

spearfish

/ (ˈspɪəˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

another name for marlin

Word Origin for spearfish

so named because of its long pointed jaw

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