SUNFISH (sunfishes)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: sunfishes   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sunfish mean? 

• SUNFISH (noun)
  The noun SUNFISH has 3 senses:

1. the lean flesh of any of numerous American perch-like fishes of the family Centrarchidae

2. among the largest bony fish; pelagic fish having an oval compressed body with high dorsal and anal fins and caudal fin reduced to a rudder-like lobe; worldwide in warm waters

3. small carnivorous freshwater percoid fishes of North America usually having a laterally compressed body and metallic luster: crappies; black bass; bluegills; pumpkinseed

  Familiarity information: SUNFISH used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SUNFISH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The lean flesh of any of numerous American perch-like fishes of the family Centrarchidae

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("sunfish" is a kind of...):

freshwater fish (flesh of fish from fresh water used as food)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sunfish"):

crappie (small sunfishes of the genus Pomoxis of central United States rivers)

Holonyms ("sunfish" is a part of...):

centrarchid; sunfish (small carnivorous freshwater percoid fishes of North America usually having a laterally compressed body and metallic luster: crappies; black bass; bluegills; pumpkinseed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Among the largest bony fish; pelagic fish having an oval compressed body with high dorsal and anal fins and caudal fin reduced to a rudder-like lobe; worldwide in warm waters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

headfish; mola; ocean sunfish; sunfish

Hypernyms ("sunfish" is a kind of...):

plectognath; plectognath fish (tropical marine fishes having the teeth fused into a beak and thick skin covered with bony plates or spines)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sunfish"):

Mola lanceolata; sharptail mola (caudal fin has a central projection)

Holonyms ("sunfish" is a member of...):

genus Mola (type genus of the Molidae)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Small carnivorous freshwater percoid fishes of North America usually having a laterally compressed body and metallic luster: crappies; black bass; bluegills; pumpkinseed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

centrarchid; sunfish

Hypernyms ("sunfish" is a kind of...):

percoid; percoid fish; percoidean (any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformes)

Meronyms (parts of "sunfish"):

sunfish (the lean flesh of any of numerous American perch-like fishes of the family Centrarchidae)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sunfish"):

crappie (small sunfishes of central United States rivers)

bream; freshwater bream (any of various usually edible freshwater percoid fishes having compressed bodies and shiny scales; especially (but not exclusively) of the genus Lepomis)

Lepomis gibbosus; pumpkinseed (small brilliantly colored North American sunfish)

Ambloplites rupestris; rock bass; rock sunfish (game and food fish of upper Mississippi and Great Lakes)

black bass (widely distributed and highly prized American freshwater game fishes (sunfish family))

Holonyms ("sunfish" is a member of...):

Centrarchidae; family Centrarchidae (sunfish family)