sea bass

noun

1

: any of numerous marine bony fishes (family Serranidae) that are usually smaller and more active than the groupers

especially : a food and sport fish (Centropristis striata) of the Atlantic coast of the U.S.

2

: any of numerous croakers or drums including noted sport and food fishes

Examples of sea bass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cancino also swaps out items on a moment’s notice if, say, the rockfish is fresher that day than the sea bass. —Liz Humphreys, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2025

Indeed, there was a restaurant critic some years back who complained that a sea bass was overcooked one evening, and that same sea bass showed up for years afterwards in his annual round-up. —John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Thus, at the moment the offerings include Montauk big-eye tuna, clams from the Long Island Sound, swordfish, mahi mahi, monkfish, sea bass and more, though even those only hint at Long Island’s wealth of seafood. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

The Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Coastal Fisheries division caught a rock sea bass while trawling in Aransas Bay, according to a Jan. 15 Facebook post from the agency. —Lauren Liebhaber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sea bass

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• chagas
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse

Kids Definition

sea bass

noun

: any of numerous marine fishes that are usually smaller and more active than the related groupers

especially : a food and sport fish of the Atlantic coast of the U.S.