What does "herring" mean?
A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
Herring
/ˈhɛɹɪŋ/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
- Grammar: herring is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: alewife, atlantic herring, clupea harangus, clupea harengus.
- Usage evidence: The police followed a red herring while they let the true criminal escape.
How to use "herring"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "herring" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "herring" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "herring" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "herring" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "herring" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "alewife" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "herring", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
"Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside of two flaps of a herring's fin he had me mesmerized, like Eben Holt's boy at the town hall show. He talked about the ills of humanity, and the glories of health and Nature and service and land knows what all."
- 2 commercially important food fish of northern waters of both Atlantic and Pacific wordnet
- 3 Fish in the family Clupeidae.
- 4 valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled wordnet
- 5 Those fish and any other fish similar to those in genus Clupea, many of those in the order Clupeiformes.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A ghost town in Sac County, Iowa, United States.
- 3 An unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The police followed a red herring while they let the true criminal escape."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "herring"?
Common synonyms include: alewife, atlantic herring, clupea harangus, clupea harengus, common herring, fish.
How do you use "herring" in a sentence?
The police followed a red herring while they let the true criminal escape.
How do you pronounce "herring"?
Pronounced /ˈhɛɹɪŋ/.
Etymology
From Middle English hering, from Old English hǣring, from Proto-West Germanic *hāring (“herring”), further etymology unknown. Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”) + -ing, due to the similarity of their fine bones to hair. Cognate with Scots hering, haring (“herring”), Saterland Frisian Hiering, Häiring (“herring”), West Frisian hjerring (“herring”), Dutch haring (“herring”), German Low German Hereng, Hering (“herring”), German Hering (“herring”), Bavarian Haring (“herring”). Late Latin haringus (whence French hareng, etc.) is borrowed from Germanic.