game fish

noun

1
: a fish of a family (Salmonidae) including salmons, trouts, chars, and whitefishes
2
: sport fish
especially : a fish made a legal catch by law

Examples of game fish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some of the largest threats include climate change and fish introductions -- both by invasive species or game fish stocking, scientists say. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025 Tuna, dorado, and other game fish will still be legally harvested and weighed at the Costa Rica tournament next April, while all billfish will be released, logged, and scored according to a points system. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 17 July 2025 By the late 1980s, amid concerns that the species was being overfished, it was declared a game fish. Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025 Southern Californians have been warned that more than 90 percent of popular game fish have been found to contain invasive, parasitic worms that can infect humans. Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for game fish

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of game fish was in 1837

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Cite this Entry

“Game fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/game%20fish. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

game fish

noun
: a fish regularly sought by anglers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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