fishing

[ fish-ing ]

/ ˈfɪʃ ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fishing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of catching fish.

the technique, occupation, or diversion of catching fish.

a place or facility for catching fish.

Origin of fishing

First recorded in 1250–1300, fishing is from the Middle English word fisshing. See fish, -ing¹

Words nearby fishing

fishfly, fishgig, fishguard, fishhook, fishhook cactus, fishing, fishing banks, fishing expedition, fishing ground, fishing pole, fishing rod

Definition for fishing (2 of 2)

fish

[ fish ]

/ fɪʃ /

noun, plural (especially collectively) fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) fish·es.

any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales.

(loosely) any of various other aquatic animals.

the flesh of fishes used as food.

Fishes, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Pisces.

Informal. a person: an odd fish; a poor fish.

a long strip of wood, iron, etc., used to strengthen a mast, joint, etc.

Cards Slang. an incompetent player whose incompetence can be exploited.

Slang. a dollar: He sold the car for 500 fish.

Slang. a new prison inmate.

verb (used with object)

to catch or attempt to catch (any species of fish or the like).

to try to catch fish in (a stream, lake, etc.): Let's fish the creek.

to draw, as by fishing (often followed by up or out): He fished a coin out of his pocket for the boy.

to search through, as by fishing.

Nautical.

to secure (an anchor) by raising the flukes.
to reinforce (a mast or other spar) by fastening a spar, batten, metal bar, or the like, lengthwise over a weak place.

verb (used without object)

to catch or attempt to catch fish, as by angling or drawing a net.

to search carefully: He fished through all his pockets but his wallet was gone.

to seek to obtain something indirectly or by artifice: to fish for compliments; to fish for information.

to search for or attempt to catch onto something under water, in mud, etc., by the use of a dredge, rake, hook, or the like.

to attempt to recover detached tools or other loose objects from an oil or gas well.

Verb Phrases

fish out, to deplete (a lake, stream, etc.) of fish by fishing.

Origin of fish

before 900; (noun) Middle English fis(c)h, fyssh, Old English fisc; cognate with Dutch vis, German Fisch, Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fisks; akin to Latin piscis, Irish iasc; (v.) Middle English fishen, Old English fiscian, cognate with Dutch visschen, German fischen, Old Norse fiska, Gothic fiskôn

OTHER WORDS FROM fish

fish·less, adjective fish·like, adjective out·fish, verb (used with object) un·fished, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fish

fiche fish

Example sentences from the Web for fishing

Like his old man, he keeps it reined in, but when talking about fishing, a true regret seeps out.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
But fishing for rationale in harassment is almost always a waste of time.

A Female Writer’s New Milestone: Her First Death Threat |Annie Gaus |December 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Sargent said they went skiing in Vail and fishing in Cabo but also talked business.

Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’ |The Center for Investigative Reporting |November 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Many of their bodies get caught up in fishing nets or disappear forever.

Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy |Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau |November 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But as it takes away the safety net, their corpses wind up in fishing nets.

Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy |Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau |November 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
What most attracted my attention was the captain's private collection of fishing tackle and his armoury.

The Pilots of Pomona |Robert Leighton
Skittering is a favorite method of fishing for the pickerel in weedy ponds.

Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others |James Alexander Henshall
On Lakes, fishing from a boat, you may have six or eight, or even more flies upon a stretcher.

The Teesdale Angler |R Lakeland
We have seen that vessels engaged in fishing were exempted from the harbor duty.

A short history of Rhode Island |George Washington Greene
When we were making up our crew, Frank caught the fishing fever and wanted to go, and his father decided to go along with him.

Out of the Fog |C. K. Ober

British Dictionary definitions for fishing (1 of 3)

fishing

/ (ˈfɪʃɪŋ) /

noun

the occupation of catching fish
(as modifier)a fishing match

another word for piscary (def. 2)

Other words from fishing

Related adjective: piscatorial

British Dictionary definitions for fishing (2 of 3)

FISH

/ (fɪʃ) /

n acronym for

fluorescence in situ hybridization, a technique for detecting and locating gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities

British Dictionary definitions for fishing (3 of 3)

fish

/ (fɪʃ) /

noun plural fish or fishes

any of a large group of cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates having jaws, gills, and usually fins and a skin covered in scales: includes the sharks and rays (class Chondrichthyes : cartilaginous fishes) and the teleosts, lungfish, etc (class Osteichthyes : bony fishes)
(in combination)fishpond Related adjectives: ichthyic, ichthyoid, piscine

any of various similar but jawless vertebrates, such as the hagfish and lamprey

(not in technical use) any of various aquatic invertebrates, such as the cuttlefish, jellyfish, and crayfish

the flesh of fish used as food

informal a person of little emotion or intelligence a poor fish

short for fishplate

Also called: tin fish an informal word for torpedo (def. 1)

a fine kettle of fish an awkward situation; mess

drink like a fish to drink (esp alcohol) to excess

have other fish to fry to have other activities to do, esp more important ones

like a fish out of water out of one's usual place

make fish of one and flesh of another Irish to discriminate unfairly between people

neither fish, flesh, nor fowl neither this nor that

verb

(intr) to attempt to catch fish, as with a line and hook or with nets, traps, etc

(tr) to fish in (a particular area of water)

to search (a body of water) for something or to search for something, esp in a body of water

(intr foll by for) to seek something indirectly to fish for compliments

Derived forms of fish

fishable, adjective fishlike, adjective

Word Origin for fish

Old English fisc; related to Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fiscs, Russian piskar, Latin piscis

Scientific definitions for fishing

fish

[ fĭsh ]

Plural fish fishes

Any of numerous cold-blooded vertebrate animals that live in water. Fish have gills for obtaining oxygen, a lateral line for sensing pressure changes in the water, and a vertical tail. Most fish are covered with scales and have limbs in the form of fins. Fish were once classified together as a single group, but are now known to compose numerous evolutionarily distinct classes, including the bony fish, cartilaginous fish, jawless fish, lobe-finned fish, and placoderms.

Idioms and Phrases with fishing

fish

In addition to the idioms beginning with fish

fish for
fishing expedition
fish in troubled waters
fish or cut bait
fish out
fish out of water, a
fish story

also see:

big fish in a small pond
cold fish
drink like a fish
goldfish bowl
kettle of fish
like shooting fish in a barrel
neither fish nor fowl
not the only fish in the sea
other fish to fry
smell fishy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

fishing

noun

Origin of fishing

Words nearby fishing

Definition for fishing (2 of 2)