Steelhead

noun

noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The anadromous form of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

    "She tried the same cast several times. I signaled her to switch flies. After two such changes we still couldn't move the fish. Some steelhead are biters; some are not."

  2. 2
    The ruddy duck.

Synonyms

All synonyms
fishrainbow troutsteelhead salmonsteelhead salmon

Example

More examples

"Salmon and steelhead start their lives in freshwater streams and tributaries. They then migrate downstream, rearing and maturing, before they reach the ocean. They live in the ocean for 2 to 5 years, migrating thousands of miles, before beginning the journey upstream to their natal streams where they spawn to produce the next generation of fish."

Etymology

From steel + head.

Related phrases

oncorhynchus mykissrainbow troutruddy duck

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.