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

There’s a new ceviche bar and a few new items, like a Bang Bang salmon that’s the perfect blend of mild heat and sweetness. —Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

Nuts and fatty fishes, like salmon and sardines, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for building the insulating sheaths that surround the nerve fibers that carry information from one brain cell to another. —Dana G. Smith, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026

The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon may have an anti-inflammatory effect. —Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 6 Jan. 2026

If 2025 can be characterized as the year of natural looking facelifts and salmon sperm, what does 2026 hold in terms of facial plastic surgery and aesthetics? —Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 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