plural shad
: any of several fishes (especially genus Alosa) of the shad family that have a relatively deep body and are anadromous and that include some important food fishes of Europe and North America
Examples of shad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There was likely shad from the Delaware River, fresh corn and lettuces from nearby farms, sugar and pineapples from the Caribbean, spices from Asia.
—
Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Catfish are biting fair on cut bait or shad.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
American shad are below 10% of historic abundance.
—Phil Zalesak, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
There, it was successfully utilized to help spawning American shad and blueback herring bypass a spillway located between Lake Marion and the Santee River.
—New Atlas, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shad
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Catfish are biting fair on cut bait or shad.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
American shad are below 10% of historic abundance.
—Phil Zalesak, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
There, it was successfully utilized to help spawning American shad and blueback herring bypass a spillway located between Lake Marion and the Santee River.
—New Atlas, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shad
Cite this Entry
“Shad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shad. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shad
noun
plural shad
: any of several sea fishes that are related to the herrings, swim up rivers to lay or fertilize eggs, and include important food fishes
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share