dogfish

noun

dog·​fish ˈdȯg-ˌfish How to pronounce dogfish (audio)
: any of various usually small bottom-dwelling sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source

Examples of dogfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cod may eventually be replaced by another species like spiny dogfish, for example. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 June 2022 By and large, dogfish are considered a trash species in the U.S. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 July 2023 As waves lapped the boat, Mr. Winkler and his pro bono deckhands set about sorting through the pile, throwing back the sea robins, dogfish and porgies as flocks of sea gulls squawked overhead, eager for the castoffs. Karen Zraick Karsten Moran, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Rabbit, duck, or dogfish, any eye could be the volta. Laura Kolbe, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023 Neither smooth nor spiny dogfish are particularly hard fighters, which doesn’t help their popularity status among anglers. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 July 2023 Smooth and spiny dogfish look almost identical save for the namesake spikes on the back of the spiny dogfish. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 26 July 2023 On the Atlantic coastline, shark species like Atlantic blacktip, spinner, Atlantic sharpnose, lemon sharks, smooth dogfish, spiny dogfish, sand tiger and blacktip reef sharks are frequently seen near shores. Julia Musto, Fox News, 26 Aug. 2021 Since then, Taylor has collected and archived almost 300 dogfish samples, probably the most robust data set for mercury levels in dogfish in the Northwest Atlantic to date. Ret Talbot, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2014

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dogfish.' 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

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dogfish was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near dogfish

Cite this Entry

“Dogfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfish. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dogfish

noun
dog·​fish -ˌfish How to pronounce dogfish (audio)
: any of various small sharks that often appear in schools near shore

Medical Definition

dogfish

noun
dog·​fish -ˌfish How to pronounce dogfish (audio)
: any of various small sharks (as of the families Squalidae, Carcharhinidae, and Scyliorhinidae) that often appear in schools near shore, prey chiefly on fish and invertebrates, and are a valuable food source

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