lungfish

noun

lung·​fish ˈləŋ-ˌfish 

: any of an order (Dipnoi) of bony fishes that breathe by a modified swim bladder as well as gills

Illustration of lungfish

Examples of lungfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ancestor of living vertebrates could likely detect red, purple, blue and green — an ability that was maintained in lizards, birds, lampreys and lungfish, among other vertebrate groups, Wiens said. —Molly Herring, Quanta Magazine, 27 June 2025

Amazingly, lungfish can remain in estivation for multiple years if water levels don’t return. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

The South American lungfish now beats the Australian lungfish, boasting a genome more than twice as large. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024

And a gene family that silences transposable elements appears to have far fewer members in the South American lungfish. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lungfish

• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish
• kingfish
• offish
• redfish

Kids Definition

lungfish

noun

lung·​fish ˈləŋ-ˌfish 

: any of various fishes that breathe with structures resembling lungs as well as with gills