Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catfish

/ˈkætfɪʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: cat-fish
IPA: /ˈkætfɪʃ/

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The meat of such a fish, popular in the Southern U.S. and Central Europe.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To fish for catfish.

Intransitive verb

noun

Someone who creates a false profile on a social media platform in order to deceive people.

noun

Such a false profile.

verb

To create and operate a fake online profile to deceive (someone).

Slang; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"“You don’t see catfish that big anymore, except in Chernobyl […] Nobody fishes there anymore, so the catfish thrive. They’ve gotten really enormous, some even twelve or thirteen feet long. They’re bottom-feeders, and apparently the mud still contains a lot of radioactive particles, but the catfish don’t seem to mind.”"
"I only use this rod for catfishing."
"Real people in a picture that was used by a catfish to create a fake identity could have a claim because their likeness was used without permission, Shear said."
"Many online dating users create profiles on these online dating platforms looking for potential partners. However, they might end up meeting with users who have bad intentions, potential catfish. These catfish have begun pushing away potential, innocent users and possibly hindering the success of these online dating platforms."
"Getting catfished is when someone falls for a person online who is not necessarily real. It can involve pictures, phone calls, social media profiles, text messages, e-mails and even phony friends or family members."
"[to Abed] You made a profile for a fake dude and lured her into an online relationship. [to Annie] He's catfishing you."

Etymology

From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”).

Usage

Inflected Forms

catfishes (plural) catfishes (present, singular) catfishing (participle, present) catfished (participle, past) catfished (past)

Derived Forms

cat mudcat catfisher Chadfish cockfish wokefish blackfish hatfish maskfish

Phrases

African glass catfish African sharptooth catfish airbreathing catfish airsac catfish banjo catfish blue catfish bumblebee catfish catfish effect

Frequently Paired Words

catshark noodling

Synonyms

catlet sheat sheatfish river chicken catfisher siluriform fish wolffish wolf fish

Rhymes With

flatfish

Questions

How do you pronounce catfish?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkætfɪʃ/.
What does catfish mean?: Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.
Where does catfish come from?: From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”).

How to pronounce catfish

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “catfish”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkætfɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “catfish”.
Repeat and practice — Say “catfish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.