Standard Lemma guide

pufferfish

noun · 4 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.

  • General-American: /ˈpʌfɚˌfɪʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened; puffer, blowfish, swellfish, balloonfish, globefish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The meat of these fish, a delicacy popular in Japan served raw as sushi that may, if improperly prepared, contain deadly levels of neurotoxins; (Japanese) fugu.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

any of numerous marine fishes whose elongated spiny body can inflate itself with water or air to form a globe; several species contain a potent nerve poison; closely related to spiny puffers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: puffer, blowfish, globefish

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plectognath, plectognath fish

4

noun

Meaning 4

delicacy that is highly dangerous because of a potent nerve poison in ovaries and liver

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blowfish, sea squab, puffer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: saltwater fish

Narrower terms: fugu

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English puff Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English puffer Proto-Indo-European *péysks Proto-Germanic *fiskaz Proto-West Germanic *fisk Old English fisċ Middle English fisch English fish English pufferfish From puffer + fish.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 河豚 (hétún) — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Danish: kuglefisk — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Dutch: kogelvis — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Finnish: pallokala — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Finnish: siilikala — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Finnish: fugu — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • German: Kugelfisch — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Italian: pesce palla — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Japanese: フグ (fugu) — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Japanese: 河豚 (fugu) — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Japanese: 鰒 (fugu) — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Māori: kōpūtōtara — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Navajo: niicháadii — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Polish: najeżka — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Portuguese: fugu — a delicacy popular in Japan
  • Russian: фу́гу (fúgu) — a delicacy popular in Japan