herring
n. C / U B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhɛɹɪŋ// UK //hˈɛɹɪŋ// her·ring
n. a small, silver-colored fish that lives in large groups in the ocean. People often eat them smoked, salted, or pickled.
n. a small, oily forage fish belonging to the family Clupeidae, found in the temperate waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.
The fisherman caught a large net full of herring.
Pickled herring is a traditional staple in many Scandinavian and Northern European cuisines.
The collapse of the local herring population had a devastating ripple effect on the entire marine ecosystem, as larger predators lost their primary source of sustenance.
Usage
The plural form can be 'herring' when referring to the species collectively or 'herrings' when referring to individual fish.