fish
I caught a fish while fishing at the lake.
The speaker caught an aquatic animal using fishing equipment.
A cold-blooded aquatic animal with gills, fins, and typically scales.
The aquarium has many colorful fish swimming in it.
The container holds many bright aquatic animals.
Plural can be 'fish' or 'fishes' (the latter used for distinct species).
The flesh of fish used as food.
We had fish for dinner last night.
The meal included the flesh of aquatic animals.
Common in culinary contexts.
To try to catch fish.
They go fishing every weekend.
They attempt to catch aquatic animals regularly.
Often used with 'for' (e.g., 'fish for trout').
Collocations
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Plural Forms
Use 'fish' for multiple individuals of the same species (e.g., 'three goldfish'). Use 'fishes' for multiple species (e.g., 'trout and salmon are different fishes').
Gold Rule
Countability
In culinary contexts, 'fish' is uncountable (e.g., 'I bought fish for dinner'). In biological contexts, it is countable (e.g., 'There are many fish in the sea').
Word Origin
Old English 'fisc', from Proto-Germanic '*fiskaz', related to Old Norse 'fiskr', Latin 'piscis', and Greek 'ikhthys'. The verb sense derives from the noun.
Usage Notes
The word is both singular and plural in some contexts ('I have two fish'), but 'fishes' is used for multiple species. In cooking, 'fish' is uncountable ('a piece of fish').