wrasse

\ ˈras

How to pronounce wrasse (audio)

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plural wrasses also wrasse

Definition of wrasse

: any of a large family (Labridae) of elongate usually brilliantly colored marine bony fishes that usually bury themselves in sand at night and include important food fishes as well as a number of popular aquarium fishes

Examples of wrasse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These days the cave provides a home for Mediterranean sea creatures including starfish and rainbow wrasse. — National Geographic, "Ibiza beyond the clubs: 10 can’t-miss experiences," 16 Aug. 2019 In that study, scientists observed a striped species of fish known as the cleaner wrasse. — Sigal Samuel, Vox, "Breakups really suck, even if you’re a fish," 20 July 2019 When Chris Taylor presses play, footage of blue wrasse and greater amberjack fills the screen. — Carrie Arnold, National Geographic, "Shipwrecks may help tropical fish adapt to climate change," 10 May 2019 Alex Jordan, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, thinks this fish — a cleaner wrasse — has just passed a classic test of self-recognition. — Quanta Magazine, "A ‘Self-Aware’ Fish Raises Doubts About a Cognitive Test," 12 Dec. 2018 One species of wrasse, for instance, has been filmed engaging in a marine version of tool use. — Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, "Fishes Use Problem-Solving and Invent Tools," 1 May 2017 Other species found on shorelines included clams, ballan wrasse and ling, bryozoans and a harbour porpoise. — Sean Rossman, USA TODAY, "Thousands of starfish wash ashore in England after winter weather," 6 Mar. 2018 Giant sheepshead wrasse — the only species that actually wants a fivehead. — Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, "The Coolest Creatures You Meet in Blue Planet II," 26 Jan. 2018 A wrasse might snag food with one set of jaws and crush it with another. — National Geographic, "Stingrays Chew? Who Knew?," 13 Sep. 2016

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

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Last Updated

12 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for wrasse

The first known use of wrasse was circa 1672

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