herring

UK: /ˈhɛrɪŋ/ US: /ˈhɛrɪŋ/ ,(her′ing)

Inflections of 'herring' (n):

herring

npl

herrings

npl (Mainly used as a plural when referring to different types—e.g. "Herrings inclue the Baltic herring and the Atlantic herring.")

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

her•ring /ˈhɛrɪŋ/   n., pl. (esp. when thought of as a group) -ring, (esp. for kinds or species) -rings. 

1. Fish an important food fish of the N Atlantic.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

her•ring  (her′ing), n., pl. (esp. collectively) -ring,  (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) -rings. 

1. Fish an important food fish, Clupea harengus harengus, found in enormous shoals in the North Atlantic.
2. Fish a similar fish, Clupea harengus pallasii, of the North Pacific.
3. Fish any fish of the family Clupeidae, including herrings, shads, and sardines.
4. Fish any of various fishes resembling the herring but of unrelated families.

• bef. 900; Middle English hering, Old English hǣring; cognate with German Häring

her′ring•like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

herring / ˈhɛrɪŋ/ noun ( -rings, -ring)

1. any marine soft-finned teleost fish of the family Clupeidae, esp Clupea harengus, an important food fish of northern seas, having an elongated body covered, except in the head region, with large fragile silvery scales

Etymology: Old English hǣring; related to Old High German hāring, Old Frisian hēring, Dutch haring