coho

noun

co·​ho ˈkō-(ˌ)hō How to pronounce coho (audio)
plural cohos or coho
: a rather small Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) that has light-colored flesh and is native to both coasts of the North Pacific and is stocked in the Great Lakes

called also coho salmon, silver salmon

Examples of coho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Two years ago, 50,000 coho salmon smolts emigrated from the watershed, nearly 400% above the average count, according to Marin Water. Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 5 May 2025 One is just wild salmon (coho and sockeye), there’s a white fish box (halibut, cod, pollock) and a combo box (all of the above plus rockfish). Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 The Yurok Tribe and environmental groups are hoping to restore river health and coho salmon after they were impeded for almost a century. Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025 The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently collected nearly 6.5 million wild coho salmon eggs in less than three weeks. Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 20 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for coho

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Halkomelem (Salishan language of southwest British Columbia) k̓ʷə́xʷəθ

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coho was in 1869

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Cite this Entry

“Coho.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coho. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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