tail fin
AmericanEtymology
Origin of tail fin
First recorded in 1675–85
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.
Its elongated body, thick rigid scales, powerful tail fin, and large upward-facing mouth all point to an active predator near the top of the food chain.
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
Another auditor found cracks in approximately 40% of the fittings that attached the vertical tail fin to the fuselage, also called “dagger fittings,” that slipped past Dean while he was focused on the drilling errors.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2024
The female specimen is roughly 14 inches, measuring from mouth to tail fin, according to Michelle Horeczko, a senior environmental scientist supervisor with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2023
It is an Airbus A321, with a union flag on the tail fin, and "United Kingdom" written down the side.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2023
She had asked plenty of questions when the scope of her work had extended only from the nose cone of a tiny Cessna 405 to its tail fin.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
