trash fish

noun

1

: rough fish

2

: a usually marine fish having little or no market value as human food but used sometimes in the production of fish meal

Examples of trash fish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Until fairly recently, these toothy critters were vilified by anglers as a trash fish that ate more desirable game fish like bass and crappie. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 7 May 2026

Once extremely common but rejected by most for its slimy ugliness, it was thought of as a trash fish, judged suitable only for dog food. — T.w. Pietsch, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022

And his plan to beat the coronavirus relies on history’s trash fish. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 31 Dec. 2020

Truth is, trash fish, or rough fish, often save the day when more civilized species like bass and trout won’t co-oper-ate. — Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 2 Aug. 2019

Numerous campaigns by environmental groups are looking to rebrand trash fish. — Ret Talbot, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for trash fish

• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish
• kingfish
• offish
• redfish