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toadfish

American  
[tohd-fish] / ˈtoʊdˌfɪʃ /

noun

toadfish, plural toadfishes plural
  1. any of several thick-headed, wide-mouthed fishes of the family Batrachoididae, as Opsanus tau oyster toadfish, or ugly toad, ranging along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

  2. puffer.


toadfish British  
/ ˈtəʊdˌfɪʃ /

noun

  1. any spiny-finned bottom-dwelling marine fish of the family Batrachoididae, of tropical and temperate seas, having a flattened tapering body and a wide mouth

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of toadfish

First recorded in 1605–15; toad + fish

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.

To investigate the process, researchers conducted laboratory experiments using Gulf toadfish exposed to water with different salt concentrations.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

At one point, the group discovers a plainfin midshipman, a member of the toadfish family, languid and big-lipped in the sunny shallow.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2022

When I was a child on Long Island, I would hear toadfish croaking through the thin hull of my aluminum rowboat.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2018

Drumfish, toadfish, and midshipmen are related species that have some less obvious but no less impressive transformations.

From National Geographic • Mar. 24, 2018

Called also fishing frog, frogfish, toadfish, goosefish, allmouth, monkfish, etc.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

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