tarpon

noun tar·pon \ ˈtär-pən \

Definition of tarpon

plural tarpon or tarpons

:a large silvery elongate bony fish (Megalops atlanticus of the family Elopidae) that occurs especially in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, reaches a length of about six feet (two meters), and is often caught for sport

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Recent Examples of tarpon from the Web

Sunday’s trip was followed by an inshore trip on Monday that produced five snook, a mutton snapper, 10 jack crevalles and a tarpon that jumped off.

— steve waters, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Great wreck fishing for groupers and snappers," 4 July 2017
Charter a boat in the Tarpon Capital of the World Boca Grande Pass has long been considered the world’s best place to catch Atlantic tarpon.

— Smithsonian, "Discover more reasons to get away to Fort Meyers & Sanibel this fall.," 20 June 2017
Florida fishermen out on a boat near Boca Grande spent 45 minutes trying to reel in an Atlantic tarpon, only to see three bull sharks swarm and destroy the fish in seconds.

— matt naham, ajc, "3 sharks attack tarpon as fisherman reels in catch," 17 June 2017
June is the height of tarpon season, which is a highly popular fish in Florida.

— liz dennerlein, USA TODAY, "The ultimate 'mancations' for Dad," 14 June 2017
SOUTH FLORIDA INSHORE: There was a good tarpon bite earlier in the week around Keys bridges and channels and that should resume when the weather settles.

— steve waters, Sun-Sentinel.com, "South Florida fishing report: Snappers biting offshore," 8 June 2017
Connecticut tarpon (hickory shad) can be found mixed in with schoolie striped bass.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Fishing report," 8 June 2017
Most Keys backcountry guides were fishing for tarpon, but there have been good catches of mangrove snappers, sea trout and snook in Florida Bay and Everglades National Park.

— steve waters, Sun-Sentinel.com, "South Florida fishing report: big kingfish biting live bait," 1 June 2017
Every spring this pass fills up with literally more tarpon than can be counted.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Bucketlist silver king with extras," 28 May 2017

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