anglerfish

ang·ler·fish | \ ˈaŋ-glər-ˌfish

How to pronounce anglerfish (audio)

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Definition of anglerfish

: any of several pediculate fishes (such as the goosefishes) especially : monkfish

Examples of anglerfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Marine biologists hailed the resulting video as a breakthrough in revealing the behavioral secrets of the anglerfish, long notorious for dangling a bioluminescent lure in front of needlelike teeth. — William J. Broad, New York Times, "Bubble Subs Arise, Opening Eyes to the Deep Sea," 18 Nov. 2019 Swimming around with up to six male fish permanently fused to her body, for example, is just a normal part of life for a female anglerfish. — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, "How the oceans have become hostile for animals," 4 Apr. 2019 In March 2018, footage was captured that showed a pair of mating anglerfish floating in the deep, performing perhaps the strangest mating ritual on the planet. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Why the Anglerfish Continues To Haunt Our Dreams," 30 July 2019 Among the most iconic are deep-sea fishes like the anglerfish, whose females sport a lure of glowing flesh that acts as bait for any prey close enough to be snatched. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "How bioluminescence works in nature," 2 May 2019 Here's why anglerfish have managed to capture and keep our attention. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Why the Anglerfish Continues To Haunt Our Dreams," 30 July 2019 Down there are bioluminescent or transparent fish and seaworms, giant spider crabs, vampire squid and the famous anglerfish. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "The weird Upside Down science behind 'Stranger Things'," 4 July 2019 Animals such as anglerfish have evolved an arsenal of tools to search out prey, like whiskery spines that detect movement. — Sonke Johnsen, National Geographic, "How Deep-Sea Fish Are So Exceptionally Black," 18 Apr. 2018 Male anglerfish are born with one goal: to find a mate. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Why Bioluminescence Evolved to Be Red Light, and Blue," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anglerfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Anglerfish.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anglerfish. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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