dogfish

noun

dog·​fish ˈdȯg-ˌfish 

: any of various usually small bottom-dwelling sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source

Examples of dogfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sharks were identified as juvenile spiny dogfish, a small species of shark commonly found along the Atlantic coast. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026

The sharks were roughly a foot long and appeared to be juvenile dogfish, according to Stephen Nagiewicz, an adjunct professor of marine science at Stockton University. — Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

The Pembrey Beach find came just days after a different bystander stumbled upon another pile of dead marine life, believed to be catsharks, also commonly known as dogfish, at Saundersfoot Beach in Pembrokeshire, according to the BBC. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026

The dogfish ignored the electrical field and ate the bait anyway. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dogfish

• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish
• kingfish
• offish
• redfish
• rockfish

Kids Definition

dogfish

noun

dog·​fish -ˌfish 

: any of various small sharks that often appear in schools near shore

Medical Definition

dogfish

noun

dog·​fish -ˌfish 

: any of various small sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source