porgy

noun

por·​gy ˈpȯr-gē 

plural porgies also porgy

1

: a blue-spotted silvery-red food fish (Pagrus pagrus of the family Sparidae) of the eastern and western Atlantic

also : any of various fishes (such as a scup) of the same family

2

[alteration of pogy] : any of various bony fishes (such as a menhaden) of families other than that of the porgy

Examples of porgy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the standard offerings at Just Fish are whole belly clams, fresh clam strips, porgies, whiting fish and catfish. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026

Otherwise, its list of seafood species is a good reason to go out on a boat into the Sound or along the South coast for the springtime migration of striped bass, black bass, bluefish, porgy, weakfish, scup, hickory shad and tautog all ready to bite. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

His fluid motion — pulling the mesh nets from the water, swapping the old bait for a fresh chunk of porgy — was interrupted only by the occasional water snake on top of a trap or a turtle inside one. — Rick Rojas Emily Kask, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of pargo, from Spanish & Portuguese, from Latin phager, from Greek phagros

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

porgy

noun

por·​gy ˈpȯr-gē 

plural porgies also porgy

: a blue-spotted silvery red food fish of the coasts of Europe and America

also : any of various other related or similar fishes