noun · verb · 6 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
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/ˈsʌnˌfɪʃ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S AH1 N F IH2 SH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any of various small freshwater fishes of the family Centrarchidae, often with iridescent colours and having a laterally compressed body.
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
Any of various large marine fishes of the family Molidae that have an oval compressed body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
Of an animal such as a bull or a horse: to twist the body into a crescent shape and roll back and forth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
small carnivorous freshwater percoid fishes of North America usually having a laterally compressed body and metallic luster: crappies; black bass; bluegills; pumpkinseed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: centrarchid
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: percoid fish, percoid, percoidean
Narrower terms: crappie, freshwater bream, bream, pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, rock bass, rock sunfish, Ambloplites rupestris, black bass
5
noun
Meaning 5
among the largest bony fish; pelagic fish having an oval compressed body with high dorsal and anal fins and caudal fin reduced to a rudder-like lobe; worldwide in warm waters
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ocean sunfish, mola, headfish
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plectognath, plectognath fish
Narrower terms: sharptail mola, Mola lanceolata
6
noun
Meaning 6
the lean flesh of any of numerous American perch-like fishes of the family Centrarchidae
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: freshwater fish
Narrower terms: crappie
History
Etymology
* From sun + fish. * (type of fish): Perhaps from the rounded body shape.
Across languages
Translations
55 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
centràrquid
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Czech:
okounek
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Finnish:
aurinkoahven
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
German:
Sonnenbarsch
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Polish:
bassek
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Polish:
okończyk
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Russian:
со́лнечный о́кунь
(sólnečnyj ókunʹ)
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Russian:
со́лнечная ры́ба
(sólnečnaja rýba)
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Spanish:
centrárquido
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Unami:
pàkchexwès
— fish of the family Centrarchidae
Asturian:
rueda
— fish of the family Molidae
Basque:
atalo
— fish of the family Molidae
Bulgarian:
риба луна
(riba luna)
— fish of the family Molidae
Catalan:
bot
— fish of the family Molidae
Catalan:
peix lluna
— fish of the family Molidae
Catalan:
mola
— fish of the family Molidae
Chinese:
翻車魚 /翻车鱼
(fānchēyú)
— fish of the family Molidae
Chinese:
曼波魚 /曼波鱼
— fish of the family Molidae
Czech:
měsíčník
— fish of the family Molidae
Danish:
klumpfisk
— fish of the family Molidae
Dutch:
klompvis
— fish of the family Molidae
Dutch:
maanvis
— fish of the family Molidae
Estonian:
kuukala
— fish of the family Molidae
Finnish:
möhkäkala
— fish of the family Molidae
French:
môle
— fish of the family Molidae
French:
poisson-lune
— fish of the family Molidae
French:
molidé
— fish of the family Molidae
Galician:
peixe lúa
— fish of the family Molidae
German:
Mondfisch
— fish of the family Molidae
Hebrew:
דג השמש
— fish of the family Molidae
Hungarian:
holdhal
— fish of the family Molidae
Icelandic:
tunglfiskur
— fish of the family Molidae
Italian:
pesce luna
— fish of the family Molidae
Italian:
ortagorisco
— fish of the family Molidae
Japanese:
翻車魚
— fish of the family Molidae
Japanese:
マンボウ
(manbō)
— fish of the family Molidae
Korean:
개복치
(gaebokchi)
— fish of the family Molidae
Latvian:
mēnesszivs
— fish of the family Molidae
Ligurian:
mêua
— fish of the family Molidae
Lithuanian:
paprastoji mėnulžuvė
— fish of the family Molidae
Lithuanian:
mėnulžuvė
— fish of the family Molidae
Māori:
rātāhuihui
— fish of the family Molidae
Norman:
solé
— fish of the family Molidae
Norwegian:
månefisk
— fish of the family Molidae
Norwegian:
klumpfisk
— fish of the family Molidae
Polish:
samogłów
— fish of the family Molidae
Portuguese:
peixe-lua
— fish of the family Molidae
Russian:
рыба-луна
(ryba-luna)
— fish of the family Molidae
Serbo-Croatian:
bucanj
— fish of the family Molidae
Spanish:
pez luna
— fish of the family Molidae
Swedish:
klumpfisk
— fish of the family Molidae
Swedish:
solfisk
— fish of the family Molidae
Turkish:
ay balığı
— fish of the family Molidae
Ukrainian:
риба-місяць
(ryba-misjacʹ)
— fish of the family Molidae
Vietnamese:
cá mặt trăng
— fish of the family Molidae
