dogfish

noun

dog·​fish ˈdȯg-ˌfish 

: any of various usually small bottom-dwelling sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source

Examples of dogfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The five most common are the sandbar shark, bull shark, sand tiger shark, smooth dogfish and spiny dogfish. —Irit Skulnik, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2025

Dusky smooth-hound sharks (a.k.a. smooth dogfish) have blunt teeth capable only of eating soft-bodied animals. —Hans Walters, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025

Rays and smooth dogfish have more abundant populations. —Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025

Overall, researchers documented nine species of shark, skate and dogfish, including three species recorded in the fjord for the first time. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dogfish

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

Kids Definition

dogfish

noun

dog·​fish -ˌfish 

: any of various small sharks that often appear in schools near shore

Medical Definition

dogfish

noun

dog·​fish -ˌfish 

: any of various small sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source