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

The federal government allocated just over $20 million in disaster aid, but many salmon fishers reportedly have yet to receive any of that money. —Chris Spinder, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024

The fishers at work include not just Portuguese people but also Indonesians. —Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024

The fishers will gain hands-on experience with the gear and help collect scientific data necessary to assess the new gear’s efficacy. —Francine Kershaw, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024

The study aimed to determine whether shark-deterrent devices were effective in preventing sharks from interfering with catches of commercial fishers. —Gary Stoller, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

The plan also requires fishers to use heavy ground lines to connect multiple traps or pots. —Joshua Reed, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2024

Madeline Heim Anthony Larson describes himself as a hard-core ice fisher. —Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024

Ice fishers have turned instead to inland lakes, which are small enough to have frozen over in relatively mild temperatures and are easy to get to because there’s little snow on the ground. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024

This Whitehall mailbox features a separate lockable compartment to keep letters safe from mail fishers. —Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024

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

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