bream

1 of 2

noun

plural bream or breams
1
: a bronze-colored European freshwater cyprinid fish (Abramis brama)
broadly : any of various related fishes
2
a
: any of various marine fish (family Sparidae) related to the porgy

called also sea bream

b
: any of various freshwater sunfishes (Lepomis and related genera)
especially : bluegill

bream

2 of 2

verb

breamed; breaming; breams

transitive verb

: to clean (a ship's bottom) by heating and scraping

Examples of bream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Get Out On The Water Bring your pole and try your hand at catching bass, speckled perch, and bream on 300-acre Lake Wauburg. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024 This 56,000-acre lake, which is home to striped and hybrid bass, largemouth, crappie, bream, and catfish, is especially good for fishing. Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2024 The 696-acre site is situated around a 26-acre lake that’s a popular spot for bream, bass, crappie, and catfishing. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 July 2024 Created in the 1960s with the construction of Millwood Dam along the Little River, Millwood Lake is paradise for anglers filled with largemouth, white striped, spotted and Florida bass, as well as other species, including bluegill and bream. Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 21 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for bream 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English breme, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German brahsima bream, Middle High German brehen to shine

Verb

probably from Dutch brem furze; from the use of burning furze in the cleaning

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1626, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bream was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bream

Cite this Entry

“Bream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bream. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

bream

noun
ˈbrim,
ˈbrēm
plural bream or breams
1
: any of various freshwater fishes
especially : any of several sunfishes (as a bluegill)
2
: any of several saltwater fishes related to the porgy

More from Merriam-Webster on bream

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!