fin
1a membranous, winglike or paddlelike organ attached to any of various parts of the body of fishes and certain other aquatic animals, used for propulsion, steering, or balancing.
Nautical.
a horizontal, often adjustable, winglike appendage to the underwater portion of a hull, as one for controlling the dive of a submarine or for damping the roll of a surface vessel.
Also called vertical stabilizer .Aeronautics. any of certain small, subsidiary structures on an aircraft, designed to increase directional stability.
any of a number of standing ridges on an ordinarily hot object, as a radiator, a cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, etc., intended to maximize heat transfer to the surrounding air by exposing a large surface area.
any part, as of a mechanism, resembling a fin.
Metallurgy. a ridge of metal squeezed through the opening between two rolls, dies, or halves of a mold in which a piece is being formed under pressure.: Compare flash (def. 11).
Automotive. an ornamental structure resembling an aeronautical fin that is attached to the body of an automobile, as on each rear fender (tail fin ).
Slang. the arm or hand.
Usually fins. flipper (def. 2).
to cut off the fins from (a fish); carve or cut up, as a chub.
to provide or equip with a fin or fins.
to move the fins; lash the water with the fins, as a whale when dying.
Origin of fin
1Other words from fin
- finless, adjective
- finlike, adjective
Other definitions for fin (2 of 4)
Slang. a five-dollar bill.
Origin of fin
2Other definitions for fin. (3 of 4)
finance.
financial.
finish.
Other definitions for Fin. (4 of 4)
Finland.
Finnish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fin in a sentence
Small and with a fishtail and fins, he is a goalkeeping genius defying physical laws.
The building is festooned with cartoon-like images of fish, including dorsal fins that poke out of the roof.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market | Jane & Michael Stern | April 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere are several long fins extending from the top of its head like antennae, and they may have lures at the end.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something? | Kevin Bailey | October 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe dress had exaggerated details at the bust line, giving the effect of tail fins shooting off her bosom.
Rooney Mara, Michelle Williams, Kristen Wiig: 2012 Oscars’ Best, Worst, and Wilted | Robin Givhan | February 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe sharks are caught in nets or long fishing lines, and their fins are cut off while they are still alive.
It would not have been difficult to imagine in the midst of that swelling mass the shapes of fins and gill-coverings.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoTurning movements are brought about by use of the lateral fins in much the same way as a boat is turned.
A Civic Biology | George William HunterThe paired fins are four in number, and are believed to correspond in position and structure with the paired limbs of a man.
A Civic Biology | George William HunterWe notice the dorsal and other single fins are evidently useful in balancing and steering.
A Civic Biology | George William HunterYes, really and truly, these little fish fly or sail through the air, for their fins balance them like a parachute.
Stories of California | Ella M. Sexton
British Dictionary definitions for fin (1 of 5)
/ (fɪn) /
any of the firm appendages that are the organs of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animals. Most fishes have paired and unpaired fins, the former corresponding to the limbs of higher vertebrates
a part or appendage that resembles a fin
British a vertical surface to which the rudder is attached, usually placed at the rear of an aeroplane to give stability about the vertical axis: US name: vertical stabilizer
a tail surface fixed to a rocket or missile to give stability
nautical a fixed or adjustable blade projecting under water from the hull of a vessel to give it stability or control
a projecting rib to dissipate heat from the surface of an engine cylinder, motor casing, or radiator
(often plural) another name for flipper (def. 2)
(tr) to provide with fins
(tr) to remove the fins from (a dead fish)
(intr) (esp of a whale) to agitate the fins violently in the water
Origin of fin
1Derived forms of fin
- finless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for fin (2 of 5)
/ (fɪn) /
US slang a five-dollar bill
Origin of fin
2British Dictionary definitions for Fin (3 of 5)
Finland
Finnish
British Dictionary definitions for FIN (4 of 5)
Finland (international car registration)
British Dictionary definitions for fin. (5 of 5)
finance
financial
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fin
[ fĭn ]
One of the winglike or paddlelike parts of a fish, dolphin, or whale that are used for propelling, steering, and balancing in water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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