sockeye salmon

noun

sock·​eye salmon ˈsäk-ˌī- How to pronounce sockeye salmon (audio)
: a commercially important Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) that is greenish blue above and silvery below when sexually immature and turns red with a greenish head when ascending rivers to spawn which it does chiefly from the Columbia northward

called also red salmon, sockeye

compare kokanee

Examples of sockeye salmon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This time of year, these apex predators are packing on the pounds by feasting on calorie-rich sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025 But variety is the master here, and other rice ball flavors include cod roe, spicy lobster and shrimp, sockeye salmon and umami chicken. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026 The streams that flow into Mendenhall Lake, 13 miles from Juneau, are home to sockeye salmon and cutthroat trout. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026 Salmon also plays a massive role in this very special week, as Katmai National Park boasts one of the world's healthiest sockeye salmon runs. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sockeye salmon

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from Northern Straits (Salishan language of southern Vancouver Island and nearby islands) sə́qəy̓

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sockeye salmon was in 1869

Rhymes for sockeye salmon

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Browse Nearby Words

socket wrench
sockeye salmon
sock hop
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sockeye salmon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sockeye%20salmon. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sockeye salmon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sockeye salmon

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