flatfish

IPA/ˈflætfɪʃ/
KK[flˈætfˌɪʃ]IPA/ˈflætfɪʃ/

flatfish — noun

  • flatfishsingular
  • flatfishesplural

1. a fish from the sea with a wide, very thin body that lives close to the seabed a

1.nounC1
Definition

a fish from the sea with a wide, very thin body that lives close to the seabed and, as an adult, ends up with its two eyes together on the side facing upward

Example

Kofi saw a flatfish lying still on the sandy sea floor.

flatfish on the sea floor

At the aquarium, Paloma watched a flatfish bury itself in sand.

bury itself in sand

Common collocations
  • flatfish species
  • flatfish habitat
  • young flatfish
  • catch flatfish
Synonyms
  • flounder

    often used for particular kinds of flatfish, especially in everyday speech

  • sole

    a narrower label for a smaller food fish within the flatfish group

  • halibut

    a much larger kind of flatfish, not a general label

Usage Note

Often used as a group term for species such as sole, plaice, and flounder. In everyday English, speakers often name the exact species when they know it.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Flatfish is the broad group word. Use it when the exact species does not matter, or when you want to talk about these fish as a type. Flounder is often the everyday name for many members of the group, especially in casual North American use. Sole usually suggests a smaller, thinner kind that people often mention in cooking. Halibut names one very large member of the same family, so it sounds much more specific than flatfish. Plaice is another species name, common in British food and fishing contexts. If you are unsure which species you are looking at, flatfish is the safest choice; if the menu, sign, or guide gives the exact species, use that instead.

flounder ↗sole ↗halibutplaice ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • flatfish species
  • flatfish population
  • flatfish habitat

Verbs

  • catch flatfish
  • study flatfish

Prepositions

  • flatfish on the seabed
  • flatfish in shallow water

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Flatfish is a transparent English compound built from flat and fish. It has been used for sea fish whose bodies grow broad and thin against the seabed, so the name describes their shape in a very direct way rather than coming from a borrowed classical term.