parrotfish

noun

par·​rot·​fish ˈper-ət-ˌfish 

ˈpa-rət-

variants or parrot fish

: any of a family (Scaridae) of usually brightly colored chiefly tropical marine fishes that have the teeth in each jaw fused into a cutting plate resembling a beak

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

There are coral reefs, too, so bring your snorkel and mask and be prepared to spot turtles and parrotfish. —Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2023

That’s where the parrotfish come in. —Hannah Weinberger, Outside Online, 8 July 2014

Sounds like a lot of effort – essentially, making your own sleeping bag every night – but the cocoon protects the parrotfish not just from predators, but from parasites. —Michael Heithaus, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2022

Ranging from about one foot to four feet in length, there are approximately 80 different species of parrotfish in an array of colors, scattered across coral reefs around the world. —Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2022

Snorkeling with parrotfish around the lagoon, sinking my toes into the soft sand and swimming in my private infinity pool was the perfect daily routine to dip my feet back into travel. —Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2021

The damage goes beyond the decimation of biodiversity to the habitat itself; lionfish victims include baby parrotfish, whose mature counterparts would otherwise feed on the algae that, unchecked, can smother coral reefs. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2020

New research suggests that protecting the parrotfish could also help save coral populations, which have declined precipitously over the past four decades. —Hannah Weinberger, Outside Online, 8 July 2014

First, the parrotfish has been severely overfished. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2012

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1712, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

parrot fish

noun

: any of various sea fishes that are related to the perches and have the teeth united into a cutting plate resembling a beak