Illustration of needlefish
- needlefish 1
needlefish
noun
nee·dle·fish
ˈnē-dᵊl-ˌfish 
1
: any of a family (Belonidae) of elongate carnivorous chiefly marine bony fishes that are silvery with blue or green backs and have long slender jaws and sharp teeth
2
: pipefish
Examples of needlefish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The swordfish lives at mid-level depths, while needlefish are found closer to the surface.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Swordfish and needlefish can both leap out of the water, and both have sharp bills that can puncture skin and cause harm.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
An Italian surfer died last week after being impaled by a needlefish in the waters off Masokut Island in Indonesia.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Lures with frantic actions send out lots of vibrations through the water, but the needlefish does the opposite.
—Jimmy Fee, Field & Stream, 13 Sep. 2023
Something straightforward like sardines in olive oil, or silvery needlefish for a close variation, sets a benchmark.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023
Blue runners, mangrove snappers, grunts, needlefish and Bermuda chub were all biting.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 22 Sep. 2022
Two needlefish jetted from the water and nearly landed in the cockpit.
—Porter Fox, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2019
There were fluttering butterflyfish, rock-threading needlefish and enough lemon-yellow tangs to fill a fruit stand.
—Brian J. Cantwell, chicagotribune.com, 24 Apr. 2018
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Swordfish and needlefish can both leap out of the water, and both have sharp bills that can puncture skin and cause harm.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
An Italian surfer died last week after being impaled by a needlefish in the waters off Masokut Island in Indonesia.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Lures with frantic actions send out lots of vibrations through the water, but the needlefish does the opposite.
—Jimmy Fee, Field & Stream, 13 Sep. 2023
Something straightforward like sardines in olive oil, or silvery needlefish for a close variation, sets a benchmark.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023
Blue runners, mangrove snappers, grunts, needlefish and Bermuda chub were all biting.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 22 Sep. 2022
Two needlefish jetted from the water and nearly landed in the cockpit.
—Porter Fox, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2019
There were fluttering butterflyfish, rock-threading needlefish and enough lemon-yellow tangs to fill a fruit stand.
—Brian J. Cantwell, chicagotribune.com, 24 Apr. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near needlefish
Cite this Entry
“Needlefish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/needlefish. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
needlefish
noun
nee·dle·fish
ˈnēd-ᵊl-ˌfish
1
: any of various long flesh-eating fishes with long slender jaws and sharp teeth
2
: pipefish
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share