damselfish

noun

dam·sel·fish | \ˈdam-zəl-ˌfish

\

Definition of damselfish

: any of numerous often brilliantly colored marine fishes (family Pomacentridae) living especially along coral reefs

— called also demoiselle

Examples of damselfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Reef dwellers like snapping shrimp, damselfish , and clownfish all chirp and chatter away. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Great Barrier Reef Has Gone Silent. Here's Why That's So Dangerous.," 1 May 2018

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about damselfish

Dictionary Entries near damselfish

Statistics for damselfish

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for damselfish

The first known use of damselfish was in 1904

See more words from the same year

Comments on damselfish

What made you want to look up damselfish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

acceptation

a generally accepted meaning of a word

Test Your Vocabulary

Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games