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kingfish

noun
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king·​fish | \ ˈkiŋ-ˌfish How to pronounce kingfish (audio) \

Definition of kingfish

1 : any of several marine croakers (family Sciaenidae): such as
a : any of three fishes (Menticirrhus americanus, M. littoralis, and M. saxatilis) of shallow coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean
b : a small silvery food and sport fish (Genyonemus lineatus) of inshore waters especially of California

— called also white croaker

2 : king mackerel
3 : an undisputed master in an area or group
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Examples of kingfish in a Sentence

as a kingfish in the state's political circles, he was accustomed to being courted by presidential hopefuls
Recent Examples on the Web Brothers Gregory and Austin Jones are both registered to go after kingfish in the junior tournament, and were all smiles roaming around the grounds of the main rodeo on Friday. — Michael Dumas, al.com, "Fishing rodeo features big fish, crowds and smooth seas," 20 July 2019 Benny Townend was the runner-up with a 20.1-pound kingfish, while Ahmad Vazquez finished in third place with a 19.6-pound black fin tuna. — Emmett Hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Anglers face Extreme Kayak Fishing Summer Slam fishing competition," 21 July 2017 Most of the top teams weighed four kingfish and four blackfin tunas. — Steve Waters, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Seapremacy wins Saltwater Shootout," 13 May 2017 Martin McKinney had the top kingfish at 32.5, Mark Baniewicz had the heaviest wahoo at 29.6 and Mark Bonutti was the top junior angler with a 10.7 king. — Steve Waters, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Stagnone and Cove win Snakehead Round-Up," 23 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kingfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of kingfish

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for kingfish

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The first known use of kingfish was in 1815

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Cite this Entry

“Kingfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingfish. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

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