variants
or less commonly filet
fi-ˈlā 
ˈfi-(ˌ)lā
1
: a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband
2
a
: a thin narrow strip of material
b
: a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish
especially
: the tenderloin of beef
3
a
: a concave junction formed where two surfaces meet (as at an angle)
b
: a strip that gives a rounded appearance to such a junction
also
: a strip to reinforce the corner where two surfaces meet
4
: a narrow flat architectural member:
a
: a flat molding separating others
b
: the space between two flutings (see flute entry 1 sense 3) in a shaft
filleted; filleting; fillets
Examples of fillet in a Sentence
Noun
a juicy fillet of beef
Verb
He carefully filleted the fish with a sharp knife.
Recent Examples on the Web
Air Mail, 19 Apr. 2025
These pans are excellent for searing steaks, chicken thighs, and salmon fillets to perfection.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
In the case of Pelagia, higher temperatures are critical, for example for turning the skin and bones left behind after filleting fish, into a watery soup which is then dried and transformed into a fine, dry powder for animal feed.
—Nick Nuttall, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fillet
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Noun
During his final remarks to the jury, prosecutor Balian held up a fillet knife similar to the one that was used on Brianna.
—Air Mail, 19 Apr. 2025
These pans are excellent for searing steaks, chicken thighs, and salmon fillets to perfection.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
So the 27-year-old took hold of the ball and filleted her way through Chelsea’s midfield, skipping over the lunging tackle of Niamh Charles (haggard through this contest) without so much as a nod of recognition.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
In the case of Pelagia, higher temperatures are critical, for example for turning the skin and bones left behind after filleting fish, into a watery soup which is then dried and transformed into a fine, dry powder for animal feed.
—Nick Nuttall, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fillet
Cite this Entry
“Fillet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fillet. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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