He thought he perceived the black fin of a shark swimming near the surface of the water.
Source: tatoeba (1805761)
Fin
/fɪn/
Synonyms for "fin" (129 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (26)
aeroplaneairplaneaquaplaningaquaticsaustralian crawlbackstrokebalneationbathebathingbreaststrokebuckbutterflycc notec-notecartwheelcentcenturycinquecopper
Show 1 more word
Verb(1 words)
break water
Strong matches (39)
Related words (64)
little phoebemillmulletnatationnickelpartspennypentachordpentadpentagonpentagrampentahedronpentameterpentapodypentarchypentastichpentateuchpentathlonphoebequarter
Show 30 more words
quincunxquintquintetquintupletred centsawbucksidestrokesilver dollarskinsmackerstabilizersurfboardingsurfingswimswimmingten centsten-spottennerthousand dollarsthousand-dollar billtreading watertwenty-dollar billtwenty-five centstwo bitstwo-dollar billtwo-spotvwadingwaterskiingyard
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: flipper, 5, aeroplane, airplane, appendage.
- Sentence evidence is available for fin, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "fin".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "fin"
Keep "fin" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "fin" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "fin", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "fin" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
21 entriesShowing 16 of 21 words.
More specific
6 entriesanal fincaudal findorsal finfive-dollar billpectoral finpelvic fin
Collocations
6 entriescaudal findorsal finfin rayfive dollar billpectoral finpelvic fin
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
125 translations across 89 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- pendë noun (appendage of a fish)
Amharic
1 entries- ክንፍ noun (appendage of a fish)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- πτερύγιον noun (appendage of a fish)
Arabic
1 entries- زِعْنِفَة noun (appendage of a fish)
Armenian
2 entries- թև noun (appendage of a fish)
- լողակ noun (appendage of a fish)
Asturian
1 entries- aleta noun (appendage of a fish)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- üzgəc noun (appendage of a fish)
Basque
1 entries- hegats noun (appendage of a fish)
Bau Bidayuh
1 entries- siried noun (appendage of a fish)
Belarusian
1 entries- плаўні́к noun (appendage of a fish)
Bikol Central
1 entries- parikpik noun (appendage of a fish)
Bulgarian
3 entries- перка noun (appendage of a fish)
- плавни́к noun (appendage of a fish)
- стабилизатор noun (of a bomb)
Burmese
3 entries- ဆူးတောင် noun (appendage of a fish)
- ရေယက် noun (appendage of a fish)
- အတောင် noun (appendage of a fish)
Catalan
1 entries- aleta noun (appendage of a fish)
Central Melanau
1 entries- pidin noun (appendage of a fish)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 魚鰭 /鱼鳍 noun (appendage of a fish)
- 鰭 /鳍 noun (appendage of a fish)
Czech
1 entries- ploutev noun (appendage of a fish)
Danish
1 entries- finne noun (appendage of a fish)
Dutch
2 entries- vin noun (appendage of a fish)
- vin noun (of a bomb)
Erzya
1 entries- сёлмо noun (appendage of a fish)
Esperanto
1 entries- naĝilo noun (appendage of a fish)
Estonian
1 entries- uim noun (appendage of a fish)
Faroese
1 entries- fjøður noun (appendage of a fish)
Finnish
1 entries- evä noun (appendage of a fish)
French
3 entries- aileron noun (appendage of a fish)
- empennage noun (of a bomb)
- nageoire noun (appendage of a fish)
Galician
1 entries- aleta noun (appendage of a fish)
Georgian
1 entries- ფარფლი noun (appendage of a fish)
German
1 entries- Flosse noun (appendage of a fish)
Greek
1 entries- πτερύγιο noun (appendage of a fish)
Hebrew
1 entries- סְנַפִּיר noun (appendage of a fish)
Hindi
2 entries- पंख noun (appendage of a fish)
- मीनपक्ष noun (appendage of a fish)
Hungarian
1 entries- uszony noun (appendage of a fish)
Icelandic
1 entries- uggi noun (appendage of a fish)
Ido
1 entries- floso noun (appendage of a fish)
Inari Sami
1 entries- vepsi noun (appendage of a fish)
Indonesian
1 entries- sirip noun (appendage of a fish)
Ingrian
1 entries- siipi noun (appendage of a fish)
Irish
1 entries- eite noun (appendage of a fish)
Italian
2 entries- impennaggio noun (of a bomb)
- pinna noun (appendage of a fish)
Japanese
1 entries- 鰭 noun (appendage of a fish)
Kazakh
1 entries- жүзбеқанат noun (appendage of a fish)
Kildin Sami
1 entries- ве̄ппьс noun (appendage of a fish)
Kimaragang
1 entries- sirik noun (appendage of a fish)
Korean
1 entries- 지느러미 noun (appendage of a fish)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- сүзгүч канат noun (appendage of a fish)
Lao
1 entries- ຄີບ noun (appendage of a fish)
Latin
2 entries- penna noun (appendage of a fish)
- pinna noun (appendage of a fish)
Latvian
1 entries- spura noun (appendage of a fish)
Lithuanian
1 entries- pelekas noun (appendage of a fish)
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- pjeraso noun (appendage of a fish)
Macedonian
3 entries- пера́ја noun (appendage of a fish)
- перка noun (appendage of a fish)
- стабилиза́тор noun (of a bomb)
Malay
1 entries- sirip noun (appendage of a fish)
Mauritian Creole
1 entries- nazwar noun (appendage of a fish)
Mongolian
1 entries- сэрвээ noun (appendage of a fish)
Mwani
1 entries- ripupa noun (appendage of a fish)
Māori
4 entries- hawa (ventral) noun (appendage of a fish)
- paihau noun (appendage of a fish)
- pakihawa (pectoral) noun (appendage of a fish)
- tira noun (appendage of a fish)
Northern Sami
1 entries- veaksi noun (appendage of a fish)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- finne noun (appendage of a fish)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- finne noun (appendage of a fish)
- ugge noun (appendage of a fish)
Occitan
1 entries- aleta noun (appendage of a fish)
Old Czech
1 entries- plútva noun (appendage of a fish)
Old English
1 entries- finn noun (appendage of a fish)
Old Irish
1 entries- ette noun (appendage of a fish)
Old Polish
1 entries- plutwa noun (appendage of a fish)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- قناد noun (appendage of a fish)
Persian
2 entries- باله noun (appendage of a fish)
- پره noun (appendage of a fish)
Polish
1 entries- płetwa noun (appendage of a fish)
Portuguese
3 entries- aleta noun (of a bomb)
- barbatana noun (appendage of a fish)
- nadadeira noun (appendage of a fish)
Romanian
3 entries- aripioară noun (appendage of a fish)
- aripă noun (appendage of a fish)
- înotătoare noun (appendage of a fish)
Russian
3 entries- перо́ noun (appendage of a fish)
- плавни́к noun (appendage of a fish)
- стабилиза́тор noun (of a bomb)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- eithre noun (appendage of a fish)
- ite noun (appendage of a fish)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- perája noun (appendage of a fish)
- plitva noun (appendage of a fish)
- пера́ја noun (appendage of a fish)
- плитва noun (appendage of a fish)
Seychellois Creole
1 entries- nazwar noun (appendage of a fish)
Skolt Sami
1 entries- veäʹpss noun (appendage of a fish)
Slovak
1 entries- plutva noun (appendage of a fish)
Slovene
1 entries- plavut noun (appendage of a fish)
Spanish
1 entries- aleta noun (appendage of a fish)
Swedish
1 entries- fena noun (appendage of a fish)
Tagal Murut
1 entries- kikiwos noun (appendage of a fish)
Tagalog
2 entries- palaypay noun (appendage of a fish)
- palikpik noun (appendage of a fish)
Tajik
1 entries- олати шино noun (appendage of a fish)
Tamil
2 entries- துடுப்பு noun (appendage of a fish)
- மீன்சிறகு noun (appendage of a fish)
Thai
1 entries- ครีบ noun (appendage of a fish)
Turkish
1 entries- yüzgeç noun (appendage of a fish)
Ukrainian
2 entries- плаве́ць noun (appendage of a fish)
- плавни́к noun (appendage of a fish)
Uzbek
2 entries- suzgich noun (appendage of a fish)
- yuzgich noun (appendage of a fish)
Vietnamese
2 entries- vi noun (appendage of a fish)
- vây noun (appendage of a fish)
Welsh
2 entries- asgell noun (appendage of a fish)
- pysgadain noun (appendage of a fish)
West Coast Bajau
1 entries- serek noun (appendage of a fish)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
Shark fin soup is very popular in China.
Source: tatoeba (2492028)
Shark fin soup is commonly served at Chinese weddings and banquets.
Source: tatoeba (2492029)
That man has a hand, rather than a paw, hoof, fin or wing has set him above all other animals and has enabled him to develop a culture based on toolmaking and tool using.
Source: tatoeba (5146546)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "fin"?
Closest matches include flipper, 5, aeroplane, airplane, appendage.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "fin"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.