salmon

plural salmons

1. countableuncountablebiologyOne of several species of fish, typically of the Salmoninae subfamily, brownish above with silvery sides and delicate pinkish-orange flesh; they ascend rivers to spawn.

   salmon paté

   2 more examples

   grilled salmon

   salmon steak

   Synonyms: lax, lox

2. uncountableA meal or dish made from this fish.
3. countableuncountableplural salmonsA pale pinkish-orange colour, the colour of cooked salmon.

   Synonyms: salmon pink

4. countableuncountableThe upper bricks in a kiln which receive the least heat.
5. Cockneycountableslanguncountablesnout (tobacco; from salmon and trout)

   Got any salmon?

   1992, “Ebeneezer Goode”, performed by The Shamen

6. Sri Lankacountableuncountablecanned fish, usually mackerel.

   We manufacture canned markerel fish (salmon)

   2023 April 25, u/LNPOVCO, “What is the liquid in local canned salmon tins?”, in Reddit, r/srilanka

   2 more examples

   Tinned mackerel is confusingly called ‘salmon’ in Sri Lanka. So this dish, in Sinhalese, is salmon hodi, or salmon in gravy. Now that I think on it, all tinned fish in Sri Lanka is called salmon.

   2018 July 29, Chath Ginige, “Spicy Mackerel Curry”, in akkis kitchen (blog), archived from the original on 23 Jul 2019

   With a thick gravy made up of onions, tomatoes, spices, and coconut milk this Sri Lankan salmon curry might breathe new life to those canned mackerels on your shelf.

   2018, Jehan Yusoof, “Sri Lankan canned fish curry(tin fish).”, in Island Smile (blog), archived from the original on 18 Jun 2025

1. not comparableHaving a pale pinkish-orange colour.

   Smiley and Guillam perched disconsolately beneath it, on a bench of salmon velvet.

   1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 155

present singular third person salmons · participle present salmoning · participle past salmoned · past salmoned

1. intransitiveslangTo ride a bicycle the wrong way down a one-way street.

   2014: "Salmon, Don't Shoal: Learning The Lingo Of Safe Cycling" by Marc Silver, NPR Some cities discourage salmoning with clever signage, like this in London: "If you can read this you are biking the wrong way."

plural Salmons · alternative Salmen

1. countableuncountableA surname.
2. A placename
   1. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Lemhi County, Idaho, United States, situated on the Salmon River, after which it was probably named.
   2. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Salmon River.

alternative Salmen

1. The father of Boaz by Rahab; the son of Nahshon (biblical figure).