stickleback

noun

stick·​le·​back ˈsti-kəl-ˌbak How to pronounce stickleback (audio)
plural sticklebacks also stickleback
: any of a family (Gasterosteidae) of small scaleless bony fishes having two or more free spines in front of the dorsal fin and including marine, anadromous, and freshwater forms

Examples of stickleback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One stickleback will begin approaching, then wait to see whether another will approach a little closer. Athena Aktipis, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023 Under such circumstances, Krantz and others have reasoned that if the burros cannot be removed, the stickleback have to be relocated for their own safety. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 Then the first stickleback will go a little further, taking its turn being the one nearest the predator. Athena Aktipis, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023 The environmental impacts of the growing burro population are most apparent in the vicinity of spring-fed ponds and creeks in the Baldwin Lake Watershed, which is home to the stickleback and species of plants that are found nowhere else. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 As a condition of a special use permit to collect water for municipal purposes, Big Bear City Community Services District is contractually obligated to maintain barbed wire fences and water flows at Shay Creek, where the stickleback were discovered in 1981. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 For comparison, the team also analyzed the stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which, despite being a close relative, lacks the seahorse's distinctive head shape. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2013 The data comes from 3 freshwater threespine stickleback populations, and 2 oceanic ones. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2010 With colleagues, he’s also uncovered the genetic underpinnings of these changes in the stickleback fish. Katie Hunt, CNN, 30 Jan. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English stykylbak, from Old English sticel goad + Middle English bak back; akin to Old English stician to stick

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near stickleback

Cite this Entry

“Stickleback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stickleback. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stickleback

noun
stick·​le·​back ˈstik-əl-ˌbak How to pronounce stickleback (audio)
: any of numerous small scaleless fishes that have two or more sharp spines on the back

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