silver carp

noun

plural silver carp also silver carps

: a freshwater cyprinid fish (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) of eastern Asia that is silvery-gray with a white belly and that has been introduced into non-native waters where it is often considered an invasive (see invasive entry 1 sense 1a) species

Day by day, fishermen have lately been reporting sightings of the once-infrequently seen silver carp springing like torpedoes from rivers in the Mississippi basin when outboard motor boats pass.

—Peter T. Kilborn

Note: Silver carp, along with the related bighead carp, black carp, and grass carp are often called Asian carp in the U.S.

Examples of silver carp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After extreme flooding events in the 1980s and 1990s, the fish escaped into the Mississippi River basin, and, alongside silver carp, bighead remain the most detrimental to aquatic environments. —Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

No bighead or silver carp have ever been reported in Lake Michigan, said Greg McClinchey, the commission's director of policy and legislative affairs. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026

For anyone with a smoker and some patience, silver carp could make for a solid afternoon cook. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2026

Then try the high-jumping silver carp, frequently seen in Midwest and Southeast rivers and lakes. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026

They're most known for blocking boat access to recreation or, in the case of silver carp, causing hazardous conditions for boaters. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

Bighead and silver carp are now within 47 miles of Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for silver carp

• endocarp
• pericarp
• harp
• scarp
• tarp