clown fish

noun

: any of various small tropical fishes (genera Amphiprion and Premnas) of the Indian and Pacific oceans that are related to the damselfishes, are bright orange usually with one or more vertical white stripes, and live symbiotically with sea anemones

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web All of the fish featured in the film, like clown fish, blue tang, sharks, and anglerfish, all look like their real-life counterparts, albeit with that iconic Pixar animation flair. Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 9 Nov. 2022 The facts are right too: clown fish can lay up to 1,000 eggs and anglerfish use their headlamps as lures. Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 9 Nov. 2022 Who would have thought a pair of clown fish would serve as the perfect vehicle to teach kids about grief and family? Men's Health, 27 June 2022 The film — which told the tale of clown fish Marlin trying to find his son Nemo — was a sensation with both kids and adults. Frank Pallotta, CNN, 16 June 2022 When a young clown fish is taken by scuba divers, his father travels 1,500 miles to find him, proving that there's nothing a dad wouldn't do for his child. Kara Thompson, Town & Country, 25 Apr. 2022 Harbor Branch made a bid to buy what was left, and a month later, 22,000 orange and white clown fish in different stages of development arrived in Florida by plane, while 380 tanks made their way over on a chartered barge. Rowan Moore Gerety, Wired, 5 Apr. 2022 When Finding Nemo caused a spike in demand for clown fish in 2003, Vaughan’s company ended up selling 25,000 of them a month. Rowan Moore Gerety, Wired, 5 Apr. 2022 Finding Nemo grappled with a child’s need for autonomy through the eyes of clown fish. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clown 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

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clown fish was in 1957

Dictionary Entries Near clown fish

Cite this Entry

“Clown fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown%20fish. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

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