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

Researchers estimated in 2007 that protecting water flow in the Rio Grande River in Texas for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow produces average annual benefits of over $200,000 per year for west Texas agriculture and over $1 million for El Paso municipal and industrial water users. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025

The League Two minnow – sitting three divisions below Manchester United – was well worthy of its League Cup win on Wednesday, beating Ruben Amorim’s team 2-2 (12-11) in a marathon penalty shootout that came after a rollercoaster game at Grimsby’s Blundell Park. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025

Pixel is a minnow compared to Android’s big sellers, and Samsung is the biggest of the lot. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

During their field work, researchers used nets to catch a few dozen minnows, the study said. —Aspen Pflughoeft july 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 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