fisher

noun

fish·​er ˈfi-shər 

plural fishers

1

: someone or something that fishes

Whether buying at a restaurant, grocery store or directly from the fisher, asking for wild Alaska salmon means supporting the men and women who pulled a wild fish from the sea …

—Berett Wilber

All around us, fishers galumphed past in everything from chest-high rubber waders to blue jeans and baseball caps.

—Stephen C. Sautner

Commercial fishers rarely catch the type of fish they seek without catching other, non-targeted fish.

—Greenpeace

Great blue herons are waders. … Their patience and ability to stand absolutely still for long periods of time make them excellent fishers.

—Brian C. Salt

2

a

or less commonly fisher cat plural fisher cats : a dark brown North American carnivorous mammal (Pekania pennanti synonym Martes pennanti) of the weasel family that has a pointy snout, small rounded ears, and a bushy tail

A carnivorous and curious fellow, the fisher was once a thriving dweller in old-growth West Coast forests …

—Maria Beloborodova

He said the nocturnal fisher, often called the fisher cat because of its tom cat snarl that can raise the hackles on the back of your neck, was in his yard during the day.

—Frank Sousa

b

: the fur or pelt of this animal

A full-length fisher coat can retail for $7,000.

—Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Synonyms

• fisherman

Examples of fisher in a Sentence

few fishers of lake trout are more ardent or adept than my father

Recent Examples on the Web

Next, the fishers tried putting the bait inside a smaller plastic container with a lid. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023

And there’s pride in getting all those old tires, trash cans and e-scooter batteries out of the water (the scooter companies hate the magnet fishers — they get fined by the city for every scooter the fishers recover). —Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023

That, of course, could impact fisheries, threatening the livelihood of subsistence fishers. —WIRED, 2 Aug. 2023

When crab fishers operate in the same area, the whales can get caught in their equipment, especially in fishing lines that run from crab pots on the seafloor to buoys on the water’s surface. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2023

The legal addition in 2011 of hand fishing in Texas does not appear to have recruited many new people to cat-fishing, and hand fishers were likely represented in previous statewide angler surveys as well as a 2010 statewide catfish survey. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023

Just five years ago, fishers would have been lucky to get that many fish in one week. —Tiare Tuuhia, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023

Grazer raised two litters and is one of the best salmon fishers on the river, the park's website says. —Natalie Kainz, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2023

For all the young fishers in Bristol Bay there is anger and frustration and hurt but also laughter and reminiscing. —Jack Darrell, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English fischer, fischare, going back to Old English fiscere, from fisc fish entry 1 + -ere -er entry 2; (sense 2) perhaps by folk etymology from fitchew

Note: The derivative was perhaps already formed in West Germanic—compare Old Frisian fisker, fiskere, Old Saxon & Old High German fiskari, Middle Dutch visscher.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fisher

• fisher cat

• fisher cat

Kids Definition

fisher

noun

fish·​er ˈfish-ər 

1

: one that fishes

2

: a dark brown North American flesh-eating mammal related to the weasels

also : its valuable fur or pelt

Biographical Definition

Fisher 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

Fish·​er ˈfi-shər 

Dorothy 1879–1958 Dorothea Frances née Canfield ˈkan-ˌfēld  American novelist

Fisher

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Irving 1867–1947 American economist

Fisher

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

John Arbuthnot 1841–1920 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone ˈkil-vər-stən  British admiral

Fisher

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Mary Frances Kennedy 1908–1992 American writer