Phrase guide

three-spined stickleback

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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Gasterosteus aculeatus, a small fish of coastal and inland waters of the Northern Hemisphere, that can make its spines erect when threatened, which makes it hard to swallow.

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

of rivers and coastal regions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Gasterosteus aculeatus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stickleback, prickleback

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: punxoset — G. aculeatus
  • Catalan: espinós — G. aculeatus
  • Catalan: jonqueter — G. aculeatus
  • Chinese Mandarin: 三刺魚 /三刺鱼 (sāncìyú) — G. aculeatus
  • Greek: αγκαθερό (agkatheró) — G. aculeatus
  • Japanese: 糸魚 (itoyo) — G. aculeatus
  • Polish: ciernik — G. aculeatus
  • Polish: kat — G. aculeatus
  • Polish: kolka — G. aculeatus
  • Polish: czart — G. aculeatus
  • Russian: трёхиглая ко́люшка (trjóxiglaja kóljuška) — G. aculeatus
  • Swedish: storspigg — G. aculeatus