fish

1. 1

   A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills; any vertebrate that is not a tetrapod.countable

   • Salmon is a fish.
   • The fishmonger sells fishes from all over the world.
2. 2

   Any vertebrate, including tetrapods.countableuncountable

3. 3

   Any animal (or any vertebrate) that lives exclusively in water.archaicbroadlycountable

   • The whale, the limpet, the tortoise and the oyster… as men have been willing to give them all the name of fishes, it is wisest for us to conform.
   • Be it known that, waiving all argument, I take the good old fashioned ground that the whale is a fish, and call upon holy Jonah to back me.
4. 4

   Any animal (or any vertebrate) that lives exclusively in water.; Now used in combination: (e.g., starfish, cuttlefish, jellyfish, etc).archaicbroadlycountable

5. 5

   Cod; codfish.Newfoundlandcountableuncountable

6. 6

   The flesh of the fish used as food.uncountable

   • The seafood pasta had lots of fish but not enough pasta.
   • Though Lena is a vegetarian, she doesn't have any problem with eating fish.
7. 7

   An aquatic or semiaquatic animal suitable for consumption during fasting on Fridays during Lent.countableuncountable

   • Since the semi-aquatic beaver was a skilled swimmer, the Church declared it to be a fish for dietary purposes.
   • During the 17th and 18th centuries, Catholics around the world began to liberally interpret "fish" as any aquatic-based creature, despite blood temperature, and created local meat exceptions that remain in place today.
8. 8

   A card game in which the object is to obtain cards in pairs or sets of four (depending on the variation), by asking the other players for cards of a particular rank.uncountable

9. 9

   An easy victim for swindling.countableslang

10. 10

    A bad poker player. Compare shark (a good poker player).countableslang

syn. fish

1. 1

   A period of time spent fishing.

   • The fish at the lake didn't prove successful.
2. 2

   An instance of seeking something.

   • Merely two fishes for information told the whole story.

syn. fish

1. 1

   To hunt fish or other aquatic animals in a body of water, or to collect coral or pearls from the bottom of the sea.intransitivetransitive

   • We went fishing for crabs by the pier.
   • She went to the river to fish for trout.
2. 2

   To search (a body of water) for something other than fish.transitive

   • They fished the surrounding lakes for the dead body.
3. 3

   To use as bait when fishing.transitive

   • `What you need are frogs,' said the veteran. `Fish them at night. There's nothing like them on big cork floats.'
4. 4

   To (attempt to) find or get hold of an object by searching among other objects.intransitive

   • Why are you fishing through my things?
   • He was fishing for the keys in his pocket.
5. 5

   To talk to people in an attempt to get them to say something, or seek to obtain something by artifice.intransitive

   • The detective visited the local pubs fishing around for more information.
   • The actors loitered at the door, fishing for compliments.
6. 6

   Of a batsman, to attempt to hit a ball outside off stump and miss it.intransitive

7. 7

   To repair (a spar or mast) by fastening a beam or other long object (often called a fish) over the damaged part (see Noun above).transitive

   • […] the crew were set to replacing and splicing the rigging and fishing the spars.
8. 8

   To hoist the flukes of.transitive

   • Found that the cause of the ship's having drifted on the night of the 19th, was from the bight of the chain span (used to fish the anchor,) having slipped between the shank and upper fluke, thereby preventing the lower fluke from opening […
9. 9

   To draw or guide (a wire or cable) by means of fish tape.transitive

syn. angle

1. 1

   A counter, used in various games.obsolete

syn. fish