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stickleback

noun
stick·​le·​back | \ ˈsti-kəl-ˌbak How to pronounce stickleback (audio) \
plural sticklebacks also stickleback

Definition of stickleback

: any of a family (Gasterosteidae) of small scaleless bony fishes having two or more free spines in front of the dorsal fin and including marine, anadromous, and freshwater forms

Examples of stickleback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 One possible explanation was that the marine sticklebacks had already carried a rare mutation for the loss of the pelvic fin, one that arose in their ancestors. — Quanta Magazine, "Fragile DNA Enables New Adaptations to Evolve Quickly," 5 Feb. 2019 One poor fellow is turned into an involuntary stickleback. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "“Alien: Covenant” and the Too-Many-Monsters Problem," 29 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stickleback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of stickleback

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for stickleback

Middle English stykylbak, from Old English sticel goad + Middle English bak back; akin to Old English stician to stick

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More Definitions for stickleback

stickleback

noun
stick·​le·​back | \ ˈsti-kəl-ˌbak How to pronounce stickleback (audio) \

Kids Definition of stickleback

: a small scaleless fish with sharp spines on its back

More from Merriam-Webster on stickleback

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with stickleback

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stickleback

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