- any large plectognath fish of the family Molidae, of temperate and tropical seas, esp Mola mola, which has a large rounded compressed body, long pointed dorsal and anal fins, and a fringelike tail fin
- any of various small predatory North American freshwater percoid fishes of the family Centrarchidae, typically having a compressed brightly coloured body
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sun•fish /ˈsʌnˌfɪʃ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. (esp. when thought of as a group) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish•es.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Fisha freshwater fish of North America.
sun•fish
(sun′fish′),USA pronunciation n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish•es.
- Fishthe ocean sunfish, Mola mola.
- Fishany of various other fishes of the family Molidae.
- Fishany of several small, brightly colored, spiny-rayed freshwater fishes of the genus Lepomis, of North America, having a deep, compressed body.
- sun + fish 1620–30
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sunfish /ˈsʌnˌfɪʃ/ n ( pl -fish, -fishes)
'sunfish' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bluegill
- flier
- globefish
- headfish
- mola
- ocean sunfish
- panfish
- pumpkinseed
- redbreast
- redear sunfish
- roach
- rock bass
- warmouth
- sharptail mola
- shellcracker
- spotted sunfish
- stumpknocker