hagfish
noun
hag·fish
| \ ˈhag-ˌfish
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Definition of hagfish
: any of a family (Myxinidae) of marine cyclostomes that are related to the lampreys and in general resemble eels but have a round mouth surrounded by barbels and that feed upon other fishes and invertebrates by boring into their bodies
Examples of hagfish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In some cases, a single hagfish can fill a 5-gallon bucket with its slime! — Nicola Di Girolamo, The Conversation, "What in the world is a slime eel?," 24 July 2019 This slime can clog the gills of other fishes and protects the hagfish from predators. — Nicola Di Girolamo, The Conversation, "What in the world is a slime eel?," 24 July 2019 The hagfish fills its potential attackers’ mouths and gills with goo. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Navy Is Creating a Military Slime," 18 Aug. 2018 Little is known about hagfish in Alaska, although they are commonly caught elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. — Laine Welch, Anchorage Daily News, "Hagfish study looks at potential of ‘slime eels’ to become a new fishery for Alaska," 5 June 2018 The researchers obtained dead insects, hagfish, lampreys and other animals to watch them wither away. — Kristin Hugo, Newsweek, "Scientists Are Studying Rotting Animal Carcasses to Understand Why Complete Dinosaur Fossils Are So Rare," 21 Mar. 2018 Publishing their findings in the Journal of The Royal Society Interface Wednesday, scientists found that hagfish don't have puncture-resistant skin. — Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Hagfish Survive Attacks With Loose Skin and Lots of Slime," 15 Dec. 2017 Technically, the fish were not eels, but hagfish, which have a skull but no jaw or spine. — OregonLive.com, "15 most bizarre Portland-area crimes of 2017," 29 Dec. 2017 The jawless, eellike hagfish isn’t much to look at. — David Grimm, Science | AAAS, "Our favorite science news stories of 2017," 21 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hagfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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