wrasse

noun \ ˈras \

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of wrasse

plural wrasses also 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

Recent Examples of wrasse from the Web

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.