plural grilse
: a young Atlantic salmon returning to its native river to spawn for the first time after one winter at sea
broadly
: any of various salmon at such a stage of development
Examples of grilse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group says young salmon who spent only one winter at sea before returning to the river, called grilse, fared especially poorly last year.
—
Patrick Whittle, The Seattle Times, 18 June 2017
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.
Patrick Whittle, The Seattle Times, 18 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Grilse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grilse. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share