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flying fish
noun
: any of numerous bony fishes (family Exocoetidae) chiefly of tropical and warm seas that are capable of long gliding flights out of water by spreading their large pectoral fins like wings
Examples of flying fish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unmarked floating chests containing two cases were scattered in a bay full of flying fish.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
The Spengler gang angling for a ghostly flying fish in New York City.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2024
Many migrant species rarely seen from Puerto Rico proper come close to shore: dolphins, pilot whales, tiger sharks, bluefin tuna, flying fish.
—Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
To chronicle the larval fish and other creatures, including adult squid and octopus and flying fish, Kovacs dives not just off Florida, but off Hawaii, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico and the Cayman Islands.
—Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023
Many offshore anglers attribute it to the color, which helps a Green Machine match everything from juvenile bonita to mackerel to flying fish, all of which are staples in Gulf Stream waters.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Things people recognize, like flying fish, will be popular.
—Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023
Water Grill will offer Kumamoto and Pacific oysters, along with the honeymoon oyster prepared with urchin lobe, salmon roe and two types of tobiko (flying fish roe), quail egg yolk and green onion.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2023
What do the flying fish represent?
—Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flying fish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1511, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near flying fish
Cite this Entry
“Flying fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flying%20fish. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
flying fish
noun
: any of numerous sea fishes having long fins that look like wings and are used to glide some distance through the air
More from Merriam-Webster on flying fish
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flying fish
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