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Definition of northern pike

northern pike

Plural:northern pike
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• noun

1

A large, aggressive, predatory freshwater fish (Esox lucius) of the family Esocidae, native to lakes and rivers of the Northern Hemisphere, characterized by an elongated greenish body, light bean-shaped spots, a broad flat snout, and sharp teeth.

Example

"While casting near the weed beds, the angler felt a sudden jolt and reeled in a massive northern pike."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for northern pike

Word Nuance & Usage

Often confused with the closely related muskellunge, but the northern pike is distinguished by having light spots on a dark body background, rather than dark spots on a light background.

• Nearby Words

northern death adder
northern hog sucker
northern mockingbird
northern pike
northern pine snake
northern water snake
northerner

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Northern pike. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/northern-pike
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