whitefish

American

[hwahyt-fish, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˌfɪʃ, ˈwaɪt- /

noun

any of several fishes of the family Coregonidae, inhabiting northern waters of North America and Eurasia, similar to the trout but having a smaller mouth and larger scales.
a marine food fish of California, Caulolatilus princeps.
any of various silvery fishes of the minnow or carp family.
the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas.

whitefish British

/ ˈwaɪtˌfɪʃ /

noun

any herring-like salmonoid food fish of the genus Coregonus and family Coregonidae, typically of deep cold lakes of the N hemisphere, having large silvery scales and a small head

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of whitefish

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; see origin at white, 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:

whitefish whitefishes

Our research has identified a link between those two developments, which means that trout, bass, perch and whitefish may become less common in unstocked lakes.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

The Order: The open-face bagel sandwich with whitefish salad, mustard, pickled peppers and dill combines classic flavors with contemporary style.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

He folds in a smoked whitefish salad — “sort of a play on a New York deli” — and talks about the cultural overlap between Italian- and Jewish-American cooking.

From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025

“I know more people are coming in here now, because I’m seeing people I’ve never seen,” said McRae, who’d just enjoyed a lunch of whitefish with squash and kasha.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

In Montana, ospreys lived in the cottonwoods all along the big rivers, where they dived on trout and whitefish.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

In general appearance and habits, it resembles the northern lake whitefishes and trout.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section T, U, V, and W by Project Gutenberg

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