Definition of "tilefish" [tile•fish]

• A reddish-blue percoid marine food fish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) of deep Atlantic waters, having a fleshy flap on the nape and small yellow spots on the upper sides and fins. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The tilefish was a perfect expression of umami, had I not seen it prepared I would have sworn it was butter-poached."
• "Suggested changes in fisheries management intended to reduce bycatch of sea turtles in the long-line fishery by pushing the fleet further offshore would increase the fishing pressure on red grouper and other ecosystem engineers, such as tilefish, found at greater depths, contends Coleman."
• "There are simply four exotic species for this special population to avoid: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish."