1. Flesh of scaleless food fish of the southern United States; often farmed
   "The southern diner specialized in fried catfish and hush puppies";
   - mudcat
    
2. Large ferocious northern deep-sea food fishes with strong teeth and no pelvic fins
   "The deep-sea catfish hunts in the darkness of the ocean depths";
   - wolffish, wolf fish
    
3. Any of numerous mostly freshwater bottom-living fishes of Eurasia and North America with barbels like whiskers around the mouth
   "Catfish are a well-known type of siluriform fish";
   - siluriform fish
    
4. [informal] Someone who creates a fake online identity to deceive others, often in a romantic context
   "He realized he was talking to a catfish when the person refused to video chat"

1. Set up a fake internet profile, esp. for the purpose of seduction
   "He was catfished by someone pretending to be a famous model"

Derived forms: catfishes, catfishing, catfished

Type of: betray, blennioid, blennioid fish, deceive, freshwater fish, lead astray, malacopterygian, soft-finned fish

Part of: Anarhichas, genus Anarhichas, order Siluriformes, Siluriformes

Encyclopedia: Catfish