trout

noun

ˈtrau̇t 

plural trout also trouts

1

: any of various salmonid food and sport fishes that are mostly smaller than the typical salmons and are anadromous or restricted to cool clear fresh water:

a

: any of various Old or New World fishes (genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus) compare brown trout, rainbow trout

b

: char entry 1

2

: any of various fishes (such as the largemouth bass) held to resemble the true trouts

Examples of trout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Quick Hitter In some states, opening day of the trout season has a start time. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 4 Apr. 2024

Walking paths over and under it leave from just behind the restaurant, where the glass wall and sprawling patio both offer excellent views for diners digging into the local trout. —Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2024

That’s larger than the trout that went into the lake last week. —Debra Skodack, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2024

Tuna, bass, bluefish, flounder, and trout can all be caught here. —Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2024

Tuck into the mushroom tart, a taste of the forest atop fine pastry, or grilled skin-on trout, propped up by a field of creamy and meaty Sea Island red peas. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

The project would also introduce thousands of culverts the area’s wild rivers—famous for salmon, trout, and sheefish. —Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 22 Feb. 2024

The creature weighed 15 pounds, a full 3 pounds more than the state-record-breaking trout caught nearly four years earlier, in 2020, according to NRI Now. —Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024

How to catch them: Brown trout are scarcer and larger than rainbows. —Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English trūht, from Late Latin trocta, tructa, a fish with sharp teeth, from Greek trōktēs, literally, gnawer, from trōgein to gnaw — more at troglodyte

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing trout

• cutthroat trout
• spotted sea trout
• sea trout
• lake trout
• brown trout
• trout lily
• speckled trout
• golden trout
• trout-perch
• brook trout
• rainbow trout
• mackinaw trout
• Dolly Varden trout

Kids Definition

trout

noun

ˈtrau̇t 

plural trout also trouts

1

: any of various edible fishes that are mostly smaller than the related salmons, are restricted to cool clear fresh water or spend time at sea before returning to fresh water to breed, and are often speckled with dark colors

2

: any of various fishes that resemble the true trouts