trumpetfish

American

[truhm-pit-fish] / ˈtrʌm pɪtˌfɪʃ /

noun

any of several fishes of the family Aulostomidae, having a long, tubular snout, as the slender, brown-flecked Aulostomus maculatus, inhabiting waters on both sides of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, having the habit of orienting vertically in the water and capturing its prey from that position.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of trumpetfish

First recorded in 1660–70; trumpet + 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.

See Examples For:

trumpetfish

The species is a common prey of the trumpetfish.

From DOGO News ● Sep. 7, 2023

However, it was slightly delayed, allowing the trumpetfish to get closer to its prey.

From DOGO News ● Sep. 7, 2023

Dr. Matchette heard reports that trumpetfish hid behind larger nonpredatory fish when hunting, and the tactic sounded strikingly similar to the stalking horse strategy used by humans.

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

In a study, published on Monday in the journal Current Biology, scientists demonstrated the effectiveness of one trumpetfish strategy — hiding behind a larger, friendlier fish.

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

A few yards away, a long-nosed trumpetfish stood on its tail over a patch of bone-white sand.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2015

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023