shad

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noun \ ˈshad \

Definition of shad

plural shad

:any of several fishes (especially genus Alosa) of the herring family that differ from the typical herrings (genus Clupeus) in having a relatively deep body and in being anadromous and that include some important food fishes of Europe and North America

See shad defined for kids

Recent Examples of shad from the Web

White pelicans flock over schools of baby shad and roost on remote gravel bars.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Bass, walleye; are they the new normal in the Columbia River?," 18 Aug. 2017
At the foot of the statue, below the three main sculptures, Calder added shad, frogs and turtles.

— tarpley hitt, Philly.com, "A scientist is using the bugs in Swann Fountain to study Philadelphia's climate," 24 July 2017
Live lining eels, bunker or hickory shad has been the ticket.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Fishing report," 20 July 2017
Trollers are picking up multiple linesides with frozen shad or anchovies on a harness-rig.

— sacbee, sacbee.com, "Shad fishing still has promise as salmon season approaches," 3 July 2017
TOP PICKS AMERICAN RIVER Flows dipped below 4,000 cfs over the weekend, creating good conditions for anglers fishing for shad.

— sacbee, "Shad fishing still has promise as salmon season approaches," 3 July 2017
Monday's fish checks found 126 anglers keeping 1,344 shad.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Shad surge over Bonneville, head for interior Columbia basin," 21 June 2017
The fish shows up when The Fish Whisperer begins the feeding process, but doesn't react to the sight of shad held over the water, the way other bass do.

— todd masson, NOLA.com, "Watch blind largemouth bass feed on shad," 19 June 2017
Stripers are a good bet at 40 feet or deeper around main channel drops with live shad or Tsunami Swim-shad jigs.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 16 June 2017

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