tilapia

American

[tuh-lah-pee-uh, -ley-] / təˈlɑ pi ə, -ˈleɪ- /

noun

any freshwater cichlid of the genus Tilapia, of African waters: an important food fish.

tilapia British

/ tɪˈlæpɪə, -ˈleɪ- /

noun

any mouthbrooding cichlid fish of the African freshwater genus Tilapia: used as food fishes

"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

Etymology

Origin of tilapia

First recorded in 1845–50; New Latin; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The cleanest of all the poultry is turkey, so I’ll do white-meat turkey or I’ll do sea bass. No dirty fish — no shrimp, no catfish, no tilapia. And I do my herbs every day.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Customers were very cautious when I started selling tilapia, they thought it was too good to be true, but I told them, if you try it and don't like it, I'll refund you. I have not had to return any money yet", he said.

From BBC

"Tilapia originates from the Middle East and Africa, it is now extensively farmed, cod and haddock is so expensive now that tilapia seems the obvious choice, very tasty and affordable for everyone," he said.

From BBC

He sells a large tilapia for £5, where a large cod costs £9.40.

From BBC

Miguel Costa, who runs the Riverside fish and chip shop in March, Cambridgeshire, began a trial with tilapia three months ago and says locals "love it".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023