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

What followed was a family-style meal loosely inspired by Peruvian-Asian cuisine: heirloom tomatoes flecked in tomato powder and tossed with crispy shallots; a tangy ceviche of shrimp and whitefish; marinated hanger steak with an aji amarillo paste; and roast chicken in verde sauce. —David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2025

There was a small stack of boxes holding ground pork, and a few dozen boxes of frozen whitefish. —David A. Fahrenthold, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Torch went on to demonstrate the typical fish boil setup, with pieces of local whitefish, baby red potatoes and small Spanish onions boiling away in about 25 gallons of water and three cups of salt. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 22 May 2024

The reservoir is stocked with kokanee and fall Chinook, rainbow and bull trout, yellow perch and mountain whitefish, according to Idaho Fish and Game. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 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