whitefish

noun

white·​fish ˈ(h)wīt-ˌfish 

1

a

: any of various freshwater salmonid food fishes (especially of genera Coregonus and Prosopium) that resemble the salmon and trout in having an adipose dorsal fin but have a smaller, often toothless mouth and that inhabit cold lakes and streams of the northern hemisphere see cisco

b

: any of various fishes (such as a menhaden or a whiting) resembling the true whitefishes

c

British : any of various market fishes with white flesh that is not oily

2

: the flesh of a whitefish especially as an article of food

Examples of whitefish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tangy ceviche rojo is a plate of octopus, shrimp, whitefish, cilantro, red onion and jalapeños, with crispy tostadas, meant for sharing. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Our whitefish and cabbage-wedge entree was preceded by a silky, nutty cauliflower soup. —Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 3 Aug. 2025

Fishing enthusiasts will find plenty to love, too, as Torch Lake is home to a wide variety of fish, including lake trout, smallmouth bass, pike, whitefish, and yellow perch. —Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2025

The schmears come in cream cheese flavors of plain, strawberry, lox, scallion, butter and whitefish, as well as tuna salad and egg salad. —Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for whitefish

• cuttlefish
• jellyfish
• sablefish
• bluefish
• catfish
• codfish
• crawfish
• dogfish
• finfish
• flatfish
• goldfish
• groundfish

Kids Definition

whitefish

noun

white·​fish ˈhwīt-ˌfish 

ˈwīt-

: any of various freshwater food fishes related to the salmons and trouts and mostly greenish above and silvery white below