billfish

noun

bill·​fish ˈbil-ˌfish How to pronounce billfish (audio)
: a fish with long slender jaws
especially : any of various bony fishes (families Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae) with an elongated tapering upper jaw including marlins, spearfishes, and sailfishes

Examples of billfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The all-release format for billfish is a first for Bisbee’s. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 17 July 2025 Other species, such as the bigeye thresher and shortfin mako, have also been documented with injuries inflicted by billfish. Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 The aft cockpit was left open, as on any sportfishing design, while a tower at the top allows captain and crew to sight billfish from a long distance. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2024 The research team, including David W. Sims of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, used radio tags to study the hunting patterns of fourteen species of open-ocean predatory fish, including sharks, tuna, billfish, and ocean sunfish. Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2010 See All Example Sentences for billfish

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of billfish was in 1782

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Cite this Entry

“Billfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billfish. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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