trout

American  

[trout] / traʊt /

noun

trout, plural trouts plural

1. any of several game fishes of the genus Salmo, related to the salmon.

2. any of various game fishes of the salmon family of the genus Salvelinus.

3. any of several unrelated fishes, as a bass, Micropterus salmoides, a drum of the genus Cynoscion, or a greenling of the genus Hexagrammos.

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trout British  

/ traʊt /

noun

1. any of various game fishes, esp Salmo trutta and related species, mostly of fresh water in northern regions: family Salmonidae (salmon). They resemble salmon but are smaller and spotted

2. any of various similar or related fishes, such as a sea trout

3. any of various fishes of the Salmo or Oncorhynchus genera smaller than the salmon, esp European and American varieties naturalized in Australia

4. informal an irritating or grumpy person, esp a woman

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• troutless
  adjective
• troutlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trout
  plural
• trouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trout

before 1050; Middle English trou ( h ) te, Old English truht < Latin tructa < Greek trṓktēs gnawer, a sea fish, equivalent to trṓg ( ein ) to gnaw + -tēs agent noun suffix

Compare meaning

How does trout compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• steelhead vs. trout

Explanation

A trout is a kind of fish that lives mainly in lakes and rivers. People like to eat trout, and so do eagles and brown bears. Trout are freshwater fish, although some species, including rainbow trout, divide their time between fresh water and the ocean. The coloring of an individual type of trout depends on where it lives, since its skin works as a kind of camouflage. If it's spent a few years in the ocean, a trout's skin often turns silvery. The source of the word trout is thought to be the Greek troktes, "nibbler."

Example Sentences

Brook trout abundance was not affected by freshwater browning.

From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026

For mains, the grilled rainbow trout with Carolina Gold rice and espelette-citrus beurre blanc was beautifully balanced, while the butternut squash agnolotti with Madeira foam and ricotta offered a rich, comforting counterpoint.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

We spent two days at the site but we didn't see any sign of the protected species: the Atlantic salmon, the wild brown trout, and grayling.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Various types of native fish have suffered declines, including steelhead trout, white sturgeon and longfin smelt.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Rondell could go get himself a fishing pole and sit out there all day in a boat trying to hook himself a trout.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña