toadfish

[tohd-fish]

noun

plural

toadfish ,

plural

toadfishes .

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of toadfish¹

First recorded in 1605–15; toad + fish

Example Sentences

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

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Other sounds are subtler, such as the rhythmic thumping that comes from an oyster toadfish’s swim bladder.

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The research began when Dr. Chagnaud, who studies the vibrating vocalizations of toadfish, wanted to compare the fish to rattlesnakes, which use similar muscles to rattle their tails.

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Our most unusual sighting is a toadfish, a cantankerous-looking creature almost completely camouflaged in a rusty pocket of the wreck.

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Their children recalled weekends on Fire Island, where Dr. Salzinger often spent his time trying to train toadfish, rather than frolicking on the beach.

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