fisher

noun

fish·​er ˈfi-shər How to pronounce fisher (audio)
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)

Examples of fisher in a Sentence

few fishers of lake trout are more ardent or adept than my father
Recent Examples on the Web The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, developed in 1997, requires fishers to use weak links, with a maximum breaking strength of 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms), to connect lobster and crab pots to buoys on the surface. Joshua Reed, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2024 That mass die-off forced the state to cancel its snow crab season in both 2022 and 2023, which affected local fishers and communities that rely on the crustaceans for income. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 After years of challenging whalers, the activist group Sea Shepherd will spend this season tracking krill fishers. Bill Weir, CNN, 4 Feb. 2024 Inexperienced ice fishers might see a cool spot posted on Instagram and find it easily, thanks to geolocation. Talia Barrington, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2024 When the season was canceled last year, there was a sense of confusion among the Alaska crab fisher community. Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2024 Sharks were an important part of their diets, and after a successful hunt, the fishers would butcher bull sharks, great white sharks, sand tiger sharks and other species at Rio do Meio before transporting the meat away. Sarah Sloat, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Pittsburg, which registered a population of 830 people in the most recent Census Bureau report, is the largest township by area in New England, and is known as a destination for snowmobile and ATV enthusiasts, hunters and fly fishers. Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 The dredging for this project should restore that depth and make local ice fishers happy, Henderson said. Journal Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fisher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fisher was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fisher

Cite this Entry

“Fisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fisher. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fisher

noun
fish·​er ˈfish-ər How to pronounce fisher (audio)
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 How to pronounce Fisher (audio)
Dorothy 1879–1958 Dorothea Frances née Canfield ˈkan-ˌfēld How to pronounce Fisher (audio) 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 How to pronounce Fisher (audio) British admiral

Fisher

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Mary Frances Kennedy 1908–1992 American writer

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