trout

American  

[trout] / traʊt /

noun

plural

trout,

plural

trouts

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

• troutless adjective
• troutlike adjective

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

Example Sentences

The selection is impressive, too, including Tasmanian trout—something I haven’t seen elsewhere.

From Salon

George's favourite meal is six whole trout, I'm told.

From BBC

Populations of Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, Delta smelt and other species have been declining.

From Los Angeles Times

A recent independent U.K. report on the nuclear sector found it would spare the lives of 0.028 sea trout, six river lamprey, 18 allis shad and 528 twaite shad every year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Populations of Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, Delta smelt and other species have been declining in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times