tuna

¹ American  

[too-nuh, tyoo-] / ˈtu nə, ˈtyu- /

noun

tunas plural

1. any of several large food and game fishes of the family Scombridae, inhabiting temperate and tropical seas.

2. any of various related fishes.

3. Also called tuna fish.  the flesh of the tuna, used as food.

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tuna ² American  

[too-nuh, tyoo-] / ˈtu nə, ˈtyu- /

noun

1. any of various prickly pears, prickly pears, especially either of two erect, treelike species, Opuntia tuna or O. ficus-indica, of Mexico, bearing a sweet, edible fruit.

2. the fruit of these plants.

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tuna ¹ British  

/ ˈtjuːnə /

noun

1. Also called: tunny.  any of various large marine spiny-finned fishes of the genus Thunnus , esp T. thynnus , chiefly of warm waters: family Scombridae . They have a spindle-shaped body and widely forked tail, and are important food fishes

2. any of various similar and related fishes

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tuna ² British  

/ ˈtjuːnə /

noun

1. any of various tropical American prickly pear cacti, esp Opuntia tuna , that are cultivated for their sweet edible fruits

2. the fruit of any of these cacti

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Etymology

Origin of tuna¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1880–85; from Spanish (California), variant of Spanish atún, from Arabic al “the” + tūn, from Greek thýnnos tunny

Origin of tuna²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish, from Taíno

Explanation

A tuna is a large saltwater fish. The weight of a tuna varies enormously, from four pounds to more than 1,500 pounds! It's common to refer to the kind of tuna that's sold as food in cans as "tuna fish." If you're mainly familiar with the tuna on your tuna fish sandwich, you might be surprised to learn that the Atlantic bluefin tuna lives to be about 50 years old, and can measure almost seven feet long. The word tuna comes from the Arabic root tun via the Spanish atún.

Example Sentences

I love tuna salad and have definitely gone overboard with how often I eat it every week.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

The Order: The Tuna Bacon B.L.T. features smoked tuna, thinly sliced and griddled until crisp.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

They’ve got a really great spicy tuna roll that’s made out of watermelon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

I seen Mr. Nagahachi checking out tuna before, when my dad was fishing.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick