minnow

noun

min·​now ˈmi-(ˌ)nō 

plural minnows also minnow

1

a

: a small cyprinid, killifish, or topminnow

b

: any of various small fish that are less than a designated size and are not game fish

2

: a live or artificial minnow used as bait

Examples of minnow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Danes subsequently reached the final in 2017, beating relative minnows Austria on penalties in the semi-final, before losing to hosts the Netherlands 4-2 in the final. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 July 2025

Now legacy media look like minnows compared with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, all of whom will be at Sun Valley, rocking their sweater vests and enjoying the view from the upper echelons of power. —Brent Lang, Variety, 9 July 2025

The broader question, not just for the minnows but for all U.S. trade partners, is whether the underlying assumption that trade can be of mutual benefit, beyond simple balance-sheet calculations, is an assumption shared by Mr. Trump. —Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025

With big clubs dominating across Europe’s top five leagues, Wednesday’s Coppa Italia Final saw one of the minnows taking home the silverware. —Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English menawe; akin to Old English myne minnow, Old High German munewa, a kind of fish

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

minnow

noun

min·​now ˈmin-ō 

plural minnows also minnow

: any of various small freshwater fishes (as a dace or shiner) related to the carps

also : any of various small fishes that resemble minnows