flying fish

noun

: any of numerous bony fishes (family Exocoetidae) chiefly of tropical and warm seas that are capable of long gliding flights out of water by spreading their large pectoral fins like wings

Examples of flying fish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To chronicle the larval fish and other creatures, including adult squid and octopus and flying fish, Kovacs dives not just off Florida, but off Hawaii, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico and the Cayman Islands. Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Many offshore anglers attribute it to the color, which helps a Green Machine match everything from juvenile bonita to mackerel to flying fish, all of which are staples in Gulf Stream waters. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Things people recognize, like flying fish, will be popular. Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Water Grill will offer Kumamoto and Pacific oysters, along with the honeymoon oyster prepared with urchin lobe, salmon roe and two types of tobiko (flying fish roe), quail egg yolk and green onion. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2023 What do the flying fish represent? Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2022 Watch out for the flying fish! Mitchell Clark, The Verge, 21 Jan. 2021 Musashi’s, which has undergone a recent Seattle-area expansion, is probably best known for its chirashi bowls, which comes filled with sushi rice, sashimi (typically tuna, yellowtail and salmon) and other delights, often including eel, shrimp, bay scallops, flying fish roe and more. Michael Russell, oregonlive, 19 Nov. 2020 Don’t miss national dishes like flying fish and cornmeal and okra based cou cou, readily available around the island. Kristin Braswell, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flying fish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1511, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flying fish was circa 1511

Dictionary Entries Near flying fish

Cite this Entry

“Flying fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flying%20fish. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flying fish

noun
: any of numerous sea fishes having long fins that look like wings and are used to glide some distance through the air

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