puffer fish

noun

Definition of puffer fish

1 : any of a family (Tetraodontidae) of chiefly tropical scaleless marine bony fishes which can distend themselves to a globular form and most of which are highly poisonous

— called also blowfish, globefish, swellfish

— compare fugu

2 : any of various fish of the same order (Tetraodontiformes) as the puffer fish

Examples of puffer fish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Pumpkin toadlets are poisonous, secreting the same toxin found in fugu, or puffer fish. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Apollo 11 legend dies and 5 other top space and science stories this week," 1 May 2021 Its shelves are lined with giant lobster claws, spiny skeletons of puffer fish, and vintage glass jars filled with tiny puka shells. — Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, "Experience the Slower Side of Maui on a Road Trip Through the Heart of the Island," 27 Feb. 2021 Westerners have never quite understood the reverence in Japan for fugu, alternately known in English as puffer fish, globefish or blowfish, of the family Tetraodontidae. — New York Times, "The Appealing and Potentially Lethal Delicacy That Is Fugu," 4 Dec. 2020 For Thacher & Rye, the puffer fish are seasoned with barbecue spices and dappled with a sambal fueled in part with fish peppers, sorghum and red wine vinegar. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "Thacher & Rye, Bryan Voltaggio’s new restaurant, is designed with the pandemic in mind," 13 Nov. 2020 In the test, an antibody can bind to one of the spike proteins (the antigens) that cover the surface of the virus like the spines on a puffer fish. — Jim Daley, Scientific American, "‘Breakthrough’ COVID-19 Tests Are Currently Cheap, Fast—and Not Very Accurate," 7 May 2020 USA TODAY Yangzhong, a tiny island in eastern China, was largely known for its culinary take on puffer fish before the coronavirus pandemic. — Dian Zhang, USA TODAY, "Amid coronavirus shortages, manufacturing face mask filters in China is like printing money," 30 Apr. 2020 The sculptures, which started with a puffer fish in 2012, were inspired by a trip to Florida. — Deanna Weniger, Twin Cities, "New Brighton’s Bartz brothers are building a ‘whale’ of a snow sculpture for January reveal," 23 Dec. 2019 Try the Chesapeake Bay sugar toads — a puffer fish, fried and spiked with pink peppercorns — with a hard cider or piquette from Old Westminster Winery in Maryland. — Brett Anderson, New York Times, "10 Reasons Washington Is a Great Restaurant City," 29 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

6 May 2021

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“Puffer fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puffer%20fish. Accessed 11 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for puffer fish

puffer fish

noun

variants: or pufferfish

Medical Definition of puffer fish

: any of a family (Tetraodontidae) of chiefly tropical, scaleless, marine fishes that when threatened can distend themselves to a large, roundish form and most of which are highly poisonous

— called also blowfish, globefish

— see fugu

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