stonefish

American  

[stohn-fish] / ˈstoʊnˌfɪʃ /

noun

stonefishes, plural stonefish plural

1. a tropical scorpion fish, Synanceja verrucosa, having dorsal-fin spines from which a deadly poison is discharged.

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stonefish British  

/ ˈstəʊnˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a venomous tropical marine scorpaenid fish, Synanceja verrucosa, that resembles a piece of rock on the seabed

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• stonefish
  plural
• stonefishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stonefish

First recorded in 1660–70; stone + fish

Example Sentences

CSL Seqirus makes 7,000 vials a year – including snake, spider, stonefish and box jellyfish antivenoms - and they are valid for 36 months.

From BBC • May 16, 2025

“Yep, that’s what I thought; you’ve stepped on a stonefish, man.”

From The Guardian • Jun. 30, 2020

It had a comically grouchy face, but stonefish — the world’s most venomous — are no joke.

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2019

Uruguay plays like a stonefish, hunkering down in the seafloor until it’s time to pounce.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2018

“If you had to be in a tank of water with a killer whale or a stonefish, which would you choose?”

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt