anglerfish

noun

ang·​ler·​fish ˈaŋ-glər-ˌfish How to pronounce anglerfish (audio)
: any of several pediculate fishes (such as the goosefishes)
especially : monkfish

Examples of anglerfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web New breakthrough raises hopes Rare dreamer anglerfish with ultra-black 'invisibility cloak' spotted in California waters What makes this deep-sea coral reef different? Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 19 Jan. 2024 To solve both problems, the female anglerfish must use a glowing lure to draw in meals and lovers. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2024 So Goodman turned to the anglerfish, which conveniently packs its islet cells into fleshy packages called Brockmann bodies that are big enough to be visible to the human eye. Megan Molteni and Elaine Chen, STAT, 30 Sep. 2023 The second-hardest shots are of some of the deep-water anglerfish. Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Advertisement His work was displayed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, inspiring discussion about why the anglerfish keeps washing up in California. Kaila Yu, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023 Targeting them eventually became commercially unviable, and the name monkfish was relegated to another species, the anglerfish. Dag Goering, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 June 2023 Female anglerfish like this one let someone else do the work, relying on colonies of light-emitting bacteria to give their lure its distinctive glow. Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019 Meanwhile, the tiny male deep-sea anglerfish, which can be one-sixtieth the size of a female, clings to his partner’s belly with pincerlike teeth. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anglerfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

angler + fish entry 1; so called from the lure-like luminescent organ that extends from the tip of a modified dorsal fin in females

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anglerfish was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near anglerfish

Cite this Entry

“Anglerfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anglerfish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

anglerfish

noun
an·​gler·​fish
-ˌfish
: a bottom-dwelling marine fish that has a large flat head with parts that stick out and lure other fish within reach of its broad mouth

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