swordfish

[ sawrd-fish, sohrd- ]

noun,plural sword·fish·es, (especially collectively) sword·fish for 1.
  1. a large, marine food fish, Xiphias gladius, having the upper jaw elongated into a swordlike structure.

  2. Swordfish, Astronomy. the constellation Dorado.

Origin of swordfish

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at sword, fish

Words Nearby swordfish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use swordfish in a sentence

  • Suddenly from the midst of the foam darted forth a gigantic swordfish, with a sword at least twenty feet in length.

  • It wouldn't do man any good to stage a conquest of earthworms and swordfish, since neither could pay taxes.

    The Whispering Spheres | Russell Robert Winterbotham
  • There were suggestions of purple that reminded me of the swordfish—that royal purple game of the Pacific.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
  • He weaved from side to side, exactly like a tired swordfish, and every now and then he would stick out his bill and swish!

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
  • The swordfish has been so long and so well known that its right to its peculiar name has seldom been infringed upon.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for swordfish

swordfish

/ (ˈsɔːdˌfɪʃ) /


nounplural -fish or -fishes
  1. a large scombroid fish, Xiphias gladius, with a very long upper jaw: valued as a food and game fish: family Xiphiidae

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