What does catfishing mean?
Catfishing is the practice of deceiving another person by presenting a false identity, especially in an online or social-media exchange. The false persona may be romantic, friendly, or professional, but the term is most strongly associated with fabricated romantic relationships intended to obtain money, images, or another form of exploitation. Catfishing can function as a verb, as in “He was catfishing his followers,” or a noun, as in “The account was exposed as catfishing.” The related word “catfish” can denote the person responsible for the deception. Although primarily an informal modern term, it is widely used in journalism, education, policing, and legal discussion. In its older, literal sense, catfishing means fishing for catfish. The expression carries a clear implication of deliberate manipulation, making it stronger and more specific than a general claim that someone lied online.
To deceive someone by presenting a false identity, especially online; also, to fish for catfish.
"He spent months catfishing people through a series of fabricated social-media profiles."
The deceptive modern sense is usually transitive, although it can also be used intransitively. The literal sense is uncommon in dictionaries but remains understandable.
The practice of deceiving someone through a false identity, especially online; also, the activity of fishing for catfish.
"The investigation uncovered evidence of systematic catfishing across several social-media platforms."
The modern sense is normally treated as an uncountable mass noun, though the plural catfishings is occasionally used for separate instances of the practice.
The plural is rare; catfishing is ordinarily used as a mass noun for the practice, with cases, incidents, or schemes supplying the count.
"Investigators documented several catfishings before identifying the people behind the accounts."
A catfisher still casts a line, but online the bait is a carefully constructed false identity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does catfishing come from?
Catfishing is formed from catfish, an English compound of cat and fish that originally referred to the fish. The compound acquired a figurative sense associated with deceptive luring, before its modern association with false online identities became dominant. The spread of social media made the deceptive sense especially familiar, while the older activity of fishing for catfish remained available as a literal sense.
Related word forms
How catfishing is actually used
Informal and sometimes disapproving, although it is now common in journalism, education, policing, and legal discussion. It usually implies deliberate manipulation through a false identity and is sometimes used loosely for any kind of online deception. British and American usage is broadly similar.
Easily confused with catfishing
Catfish can name the fish, a person who deceives through a false identity, or the underlying verb, whereas catfishing names the activity of deception or, less commonly, fishing for catfish.