What does catfish mean?
A catfish is a type of freshwater fish distinguished by its smooth, scaleless skin, flattened broad head, and prominent whisker-like barbels around the mouth, which it uses to locate food in murky water. Found on every continent except Antarctica, catfish range from small aquarium species to giants like the Mekong giant catfish, which can exceed nine feet in length. In North America, species such as the channel and blue catfish are popular both commercially and recreationally, prized for sport fishing and Southern cooking alike. The word took on a striking second life in the digital era: beginning around 2010, popularized by a documentary and subsequent MTV series, 'catfish' came to describe a person who assumes a fabricated online identity to deceive others, often romantically. This informal verb sense — to catfish someone — is now firmly embedded in modern conversation about internet dating and social media, giving this ancient-sounding word an unexpectedly contemporary edge.
A scaleless freshwater fish with a broad head and long barbels resembling a cat's whiskers, of the order Siluriformes.
"Blue catfish can weigh well over a hundred pounds, making them prized catches on the Mississippi."
Plural is typically 'catfish' (unchanged); 'catfishes' is a valid variant.
To deceive someone, especially romantically, by assuming a fictitious identity on social media or dating platforms.
"He realized too late that he had been catfished by someone using entirely fabricated photos."
Informal register; derived from the 2010 documentary of the same name.
The plural is normally identical to the singular, following the pattern of many game-fish names; 'catfishes' is acceptable but less common.
"The lake is stocked with thousands of catfish each spring."
The Mekong giant catfish can grow longer than nine feet — making it one of the largest freshwater fish on Earth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catfish
Catfish is a straightforward English compound formed from 'cat' — after the fish's whisker-like barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers — and 'fish'. The compound dates back centuries in English, with the fish itself known across Europe long before the name was standardized. The verb sense meaning 'to deceive through a false online persona' arose independently in early-21st-century American slang, inspired by a folk tale recounted in the 2010 documentary 'Catfish' rather than by any older figurative tradition.
Related word forms
How catfish is actually used
As a noun, 'catfish' has the same form for singular and plural (though 'catfishes' is also acceptable). The verb sense, meaning to deceive via a fake online identity, emerged in American slang in the late 2000s–early 2010s, popularized by the 2010 documentary 'Catfish' and later the MTV series of the same name; it is informal but now widely understood.