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Definition of chum salmon
chum salmon
Plural:chum salmon
• noun
1
North American A widespread species of anadromous Pacific salmon native to the coastal waters and river systems of the North Pacific and Bering Sea, characterized by its pale flesh and the canine-like teeth it develops during spawning.
Example
"Every autumn, bears and bald eagles gather along the shallow rivers of the Pacific Northwest to feed on the migrating chum salmon."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for chum salmonWord Nuance & Usage
Often marketed commercially as 'keta' to avoid consumer confusion with the homophone 'chum', which refers to chopped fish parts used as bait.
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Chum salmon. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/chum%20salmon