anglerfish

noun

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 Smithsonian and Duke University scientists found ultra-black fishes—like the Pacific blackdragon, the anglerfish and the black swallower—have a special arrangement of black pigments within their skin that absorb at least 99.5 percent of light. — Danielle Hall, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020," 17 Dec. 2020 To come to this conclusion, Boehm and his colleagues spent the past six years conducting genetic tests on tissue samples of anglerfish taken from around the world. — Eric Niiler, Wired, "The Anglerfish Deleted Its Immune System to Fuse With Its Mate," 31 July 2020 In addition to being some of the most foreboding-looking broads in the deep sea, female anglerfish have the unique privilege of carrying their mates along with them for life (at least in some cases). — Popular Science, "Egg yolk color doesn’t mean what you think it does," 14 Oct. 2020 Boehm believes that the anglerfish somehow boosts its own innate immune system to make up for the loss of the adaptive system. — Eric Niiler, Wired, "The Anglerfish Deleted Its Immune System to Fuse With Its Mate," 31 July 2020 Love can leave us defenseless, but for some species of deep sea anglerfish letting their guard down for new romance is in their genes. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Anglerfish Drop Their Immune Defenses to Find Love," 31 July 2020 Finding these answers will likely require finding more rare deep sea anglerfish. — Katherine J. Wu, New York Times, "How the Ultimate Live-in Boyfriend Evolved His Way Around Rejection," 30 July 2020 One famous example is the anglerfish and its luminescent lure. — Hannah Knighton, Smithsonian Magazine, "Deep-Sea Squids Glow to Communicate in the Dark," 6 Apr. 2020 The findings raise new questions about how these anglerfish that have compromised their immune systems to hang onto their mates manage to stay healthy. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Anglerfish Drop Their Immune Defenses to Find Love," 31 July 2020

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

4 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Anglerfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anglerfish. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

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