salmon

noun

salm·​on ˈsa-mən 

plural salmon also salmons

1

a

: a large anadromous salmonid fish (Salmo salar) of the North Atlantic noted as a game and food fish

called also Atlantic salmon

b

: any of various anadromous salmonid fishes other than the salmon

especially : pacific salmon

c

: a fish (such as a barramundi) resembling a salmon

2

: the variable color of salmon's flesh averaging a strong yellowish pink

Examples of salmon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If your goal is to get the most omega-3s, choose fattier fish like salmon. — Merve Ceylan, HEALTH, 21 Aug. 2026

Similarly, large-scale hydroelectric dams disrupt freshwater ecosystems by fragmenting rivers, blocking migratory fish species like salmon, and altering natural sediment flows. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

The restaurant serves nigiri (like garlic ponzu salmon and sea bream with yuzu pepper), standard sushi rolls (for example, Philadelphia rolls and spicy tuna rolls), gunkan and hand rolls. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026

Now that August has arrived, the salmon have reached their spawning grounds and have spread out in the Brooks River. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English samon, from Anglo-French salmon, samon, from Latin salmon-, salmo

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing salmon

• Atlantic salmon
• black salmon
• chinook salmon
• chum salmon
• jack salmon
• king salmon
• Pacific salmon
• pink salmon
• red salmon
• salmon pink
• silver salmon
• sockeye salmon

Rhymes for salmon

• famine
• gammon
• mammon
• backgammon
• examen
• examine
• glutamine
• reexamine

Kids Definition

salmon

noun

salm·​on ˈsam-ən 

plural salmon also salmons

1

: any of various large food and game fishes that are related to the trouts, have reddish or pinkish flesh, live in oceans or large lakes, and swim up rivers or streams to deposit or fertilize eggs: as

a

: one of the northern Atlantic that does not die after breeding

called also Atlantic salmon

b

: any of several fishes (as the Chinook salmon) of the northern Pacific that usually die after breeding

called also Pacific salmon

2

: salmon pink

Geographical Definition

Salmon

geographical name

Salm·​on ˈsa-mən 

river 420 miles (676 kilometers) long in central Idaho flowing into the Snake River