blue catfish

1 of 2

noun (1)

: a large bluish catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) of the Mississippi River valley that may weigh over 100 pounds (45 kilograms)

blue cat

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or blue catfish or blue channel cat or blue channel catfish
: a large bluish catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) of the Mississippi valley that may exceed 100 pounds in weight and is an important food fish

Examples of blue catfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
White catfish have between 19 and 23 rays, channel catfish have 24 to 30, and blue catfish have the longest anal fin with 30 to 36 rays in total. Ken Perrotte, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026 The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said Michael Ramey set a state weight record after catching a 71-pound blue catfish on May 9 while fishing the Ohio River in Jackson County. Michael Guise, CBS News, 26 May 2026 Sewage impacts could reach the Chesapeake Bay Naujoks stressed how important the Potomac is to the region, saying people depend on it for drinking water, tourism, trade and commercial fishing of species including blue catfish, rockfish, crabs and oysters. N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026 Micka Burkhart caught a 122 pound and 3 ounce blue catfish in the Barkley Reservoir on June 28, 2023. Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blue catfish

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1818, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue catfish was in 1818

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Cite this Entry

“Blue catfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20catfish. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

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