Standard Lemma guide

killifish

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkɪ.li.fɪʃ/
  • CMU ARPABET: K IH1 L IH0 F IH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of a number of tiny fish in the Cyprinodontiformes order of ray-finned fish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

small mostly marine warm-water carp-like schooling fishes; used as bait or aquarium fishes or in mosquito control

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cyprinodont

Narrower terms: mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, striped killifish, mayfish, may fish, Fundulus majalis, rivulus, flagfish, American flagfish, Jordanella floridae

History

Etymology

From killie (“killifish”, perhaps from kill (“channel, creek”)) or kill, + fish.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: hammaskarppikala — fish in the order Cyprinodontiformees
  • Hungarian: fogasponty — fish in the order Cyprinodontiformees