Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act, occupation, or sport of catching fish.
  • noun A place for catching fish.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The art or practice of catching fish.
  • noun A fishery; a place or facilities for catching fish: as, there is good fishing there.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act, practice, or art of one who fishes.
  • noun A fishery.
  • adjective Pertaining to fishing; used in fishery; engaged in fishing
  • adjective an artificial fly for fishing.
  • adjective a line used in catching fish.
  • adjective a net of various kinds for catching fish; including the bag net, casting net, drag net, landing net, seine, shrimping net, trawl, etc.
  • adjective a long slender rod, to which is attached the line for angling.
  • adjective a sloop or other small vessel used in sea fishing.
  • adjective apparatus used in fishing, as hook, line, rod, etc.
  • adjective (Micros.) a glass tube for selecting a microscopic object in a fluid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, or pertaining to fishing.
  • noun uncountable The activity or sport of catching fish from a body of water.
  • noun uncountable The business of catching fish, molluscs, crustaceans or echinoderms in large quantities for sale.
  • noun countable A place for catching fish.
  • verb Present participle of fish.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the occupation of catching fish for a living
  • noun the act of someone who fishes as a diversion

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Citi analyst Gary Taylor also used the term "fishing expedition," telling clients it's too early to tell if that's what's happening with Health Management.

    unknown title 2011

  • Citi analyst Gary Taylor also used the term "fishing expedition," telling clients it's too early to tell if that's what's happening with Health Management.

    unknown title 2011

  • Mo. for trout my main fishing is on the Mississippi for catfish.

    What Line Do You Use? John Merwin 2008

  • Deep sea fishing is available there, and (thankfully) no time-share salespeople or hordes of trinket sellers preying on the beachgoers.

    Page 2 2009

  • Deep sea fishing is available there, and (thankfully) no time-share salespeople or hordes of trinket sellers preying on the beachgoers.

    Page 2 2009

  • There are plenty of campsites and the fishing is awesome.

    Spring Break Fly Fishing Trip 2009

  • There are plenty of campsites and the fishing is awesome.

    Spring Break Fly Fishing Trip 2009

  • Deep sea fishing is available there, and (thankfully) no time-share salespeople or hordes of trinket sellers preying on the beachgoers.

    Page 2 2009

  • Well, I hope sea fishing is all properly explained now.

    My Son In Books « Tales from the Reading Room 2009

  • Deep sea fishing is available there, and (thankfully) no time-share salespeople or hordes of trinket sellers preying on the beachgoers.

    Page 2 2009

  • In some places, the team found evidence of “ghost fishing”, in which discarded fishing nets become stuck in the reefs and continue to trap and kill fish.

    Striking images show plastic litter in the world’s most remote coral reefs Katharine Sanderson 2023

Comments

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  • Cricket jargon - a batsman who tries half-heartedly to hit the ball but does not make contact is said to be fishing.

    November 30, 2007

  • Why does WeirdNet have distinct definitions for fishing as recreation and as a job, but no general definition along the lines of 'catching fish'...?

    February 9, 2009

  • "What shall we do--or go fishing?"

    Harold William Thompson - Body, Boots and Britches (1940) p.504

    September 25, 2009

  • In Scrabble, playing only one or two tiles at a time to hold on to letters that can be used for a high-scoring word on the next turn.

    November 27, 2019