swim bladder

noun

: the air bladder of a fish

Examples of swim bladder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Like rattlesnakes, piranhas execute two rhythmic movements with radically different frequencies: swimming, with a frequency of up to six cycles per second, and vibrating their swim bladders at frequencies of up to 140 cycles per second to make noises that sound like barks, yips and drumbeats. Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 The higher frequency pulses are generated by compressing the swim bladder from the left and right in an alternating pattern. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024 The tension built up in this contraction is rapidly released, rather like snapping a rubber band, causing the rib to strike the swim bladder and generate the distinctive drumming sound. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Other fish also make loud noises using their swim bladders, including mating black drum fish, which made headlines for possibly keeping Florida residents up at night. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 Officers working at the Nogales Port of Entry in Santa Cruz County discovered 270 swim bladders hidden inside a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets, CBP announced. Ashley R. Williams, CNN, 18 June 2023 The animals can produce low frequency drumming sounds by flexing their muscles against their swim bladder. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 On April 13, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa trade facility found 270 swim bladders of the endangered Totoaba fish concealed within a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2023 But this is a slow process, and if a fish comes up too rapidly (for example, if it’s caught on a fishing hook in deep water and then is quickly reeled to the surface), the pressure change can be fatal, because the swim bladder can’t be deflated fast enough. Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swim bladder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swim bladder was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near swim bladder

Cite this Entry

“Swim bladder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swim%20bladder. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swim bladder

noun
: a gas-filled expandable sac in fish that serves especially to regulate buoyancy which allows fish to remain at different depths without sinking

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