SINCE 1828
stonefish
noun
stone·fish
| \ ˈstōn-ˌfish
\
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Definition of stonefish
: any of several small spiny venomous bony fishes (family Synanceiidae, especially genus Synanceja) common about coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific
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The blade can lock all the way in and out, or hinge at a variety of angles, and can range from about half to 2.5 times the width of the eye of any stonefish. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "This Fish Has a Switchblade on Its Face," 14 Apr. 2018 The lead author of the study, W. Leo Smith, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Kansas, has kept stonefish in aquaria. — Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, "This Knife-Wielding Mini-Monster Wants You to Back Off," 4 June 2018 In addition to poison dart frogs and venomous snakes, visitors will see exhibits on Snow White, and dangerous creatures in the Aquarium (lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, rabbitfish and more). — Sarah Maiellano, USA TODAY, "The best museum exhibits in the USA for summer 2018," 4 June 2018 There are 134 described species of stonefish, and by Smith's observation, all of them have some form of lachrymal saber. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads," 12 Apr. 2018 Under fluorescent light, the saber of one species of stonefish even glowed green (other regions of its head glows red). — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "This Fish Has a Switchblade on Its Face," 14 Apr. 2018 Though some stonefish are venomous, the saber is not. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads," 12 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stonefish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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