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Definition of dogfish
dogfish
/ˈdɔːɡ.fɪʃ/
dog · fish
Plural:dogfish
dogfish Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
7
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
dogfish Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
Any of various small sharks, especially those of the families Squalidae (spiny dogfishes) and Scyliorhinidae (catsharks), found in coastal and deep waters globally.
Example
"The biology students carefully dissected a spiny dogfish to study the anatomy of cartilaginous fish."
2
North American A primitive, predatory freshwater fish of the Amiidae family, native to eastern North America, typically found in sluggish, vegetated waters.
Example
"While casting his line in the swampy southern river, the angler unexpectedly caught a large dogfish."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for dogfish• Rhymes for dogfish
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Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'doggefisch', likely named for their habit of hunting in packs like wild dogs, or potentially because 'dog' was historically used as a prefix for smaller or lesser variants of a species.
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Dogfish. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/dogfish