variants
or less commonly filet
fi-ˈlā 
ˈfi-(ˌ)lā
1
: a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband
2
a
: a thin narrow strip of material
b
: a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish
especially
: the tenderloin of beef
3
a
: a concave junction formed where two surfaces meet (as at an angle)
b
: a strip that gives a rounded appearance to such a junction
also
: a strip to reinforce the corner where two surfaces meet
4
: a narrow flat architectural member:
a
: a flat molding separating others
b
: the space between two flutings (see flute entry 1 sense 3) in a shaft
filleted; filleting; fillets
Examples of fillet in a Sentence
Noun
a juicy fillet of beef
Verb
He carefully filleted the fish with a sharp knife.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
Divide the mustard green mixture among four plates and arrange one fillet on top of each.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 11 May 2024
Thin-crust, brick-oven pizza is made with dough from a century-old recipe, and toppings range from anchovy fillets and capers to spinach, ricotta, and prosciutto to broccoli and garlic with white sauce.
—Samantha Dimauro, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Individual fillets make for easy serving and doubling, tripling or quadrupling, but a whole slab of salmon makes for a showstopping centerpiece without much effort.
—Tanya Sichynsky, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Fry fillets, in batches, in butter mixture 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
Delicate white fillets of cod, haddock, or halibut make an ideal canvas for her marinade of coconut milk and lemon juice infused with fresh turmeric and ginger, which lend earthy, peppery notes.
—Romy Gill, Saveur, 24 Apr. 2024
Fatty fish like salmon (0.5 fillet = 53 mg) and mackerel (1 fillet = 85 mg) are good sources of magnesium and other nutrients.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Melt it down with a few anchovy fillets and toss with fusilli.
—Bon Appétit, 10 Apr. 2024
Simone Bouhour, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
My partner deftly filleted one of the fish and pan fried it in butter.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Cleaning puffers is different than a filleting other fish, and this video (above) does a great job of showing you the steps.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023
Add the olive oil and sear the salmon fillets skin side down until the skin is browned and crispy, 2 to 5 minutes.
—Eric Kim, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2023
Burbot are skinned and then filleted.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2023
Fantastic John Krasinski, Captain Agent Carter America, '90s Professor X: Wanda fillets them all.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
The text is also instructional, explaining how to fillet a whole fish, ferment and pickle, and use layering to achieve unorthodox flavor combinations.
—Von Diaz, Washington Post, 3 June 2022
Fabric bought from Florence bind the cushions made by Sabbagh, and a roving cart becomes a talker when staff use it to carve a whole chicken or fillet a fish tableside.
—Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022
Noun
The April opening sparked a frenzy with nearly constant lines for the restaurant’s signature popcorn chicken, chicken sandwiches and chicken fillets.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
Divide the mustard green mixture among four plates and arrange one fillet on top of each.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 11 May 2024
Thin-crust, brick-oven pizza is made with dough from a century-old recipe, and toppings range from anchovy fillets and capers to spinach, ricotta, and prosciutto to broccoli and garlic with white sauce.
—Samantha Dimauro, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Individual fillets make for easy serving and doubling, tripling or quadrupling, but a whole slab of salmon makes for a showstopping centerpiece without much effort.
—Tanya Sichynsky, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Fry fillets, in batches, in butter mixture 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
Delicate white fillets of cod, haddock, or halibut make an ideal canvas for her marinade of coconut milk and lemon juice infused with fresh turmeric and ginger, which lend earthy, peppery notes.
—Romy Gill, Saveur, 24 Apr. 2024
Fatty fish like salmon (0.5 fillet = 53 mg) and mackerel (1 fillet = 85 mg) are good sources of magnesium and other nutrients.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Melt it down with a few anchovy fillets and toss with fusilli.
—Bon Appétit, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
Four 6-oz. fillets mild white fish, preferably haddock, pollock, or sea bream
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups whole milk
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp.
—Simone Bouhour, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
My partner deftly filleted one of the fish and pan fried it in butter.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Cleaning puffers is different than a filleting other fish, and this video (above) does a great job of showing you the steps.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023
Add the olive oil and sear the salmon fillets skin side down until the skin is browned and crispy, 2 to 5 minutes.
—Eric Kim, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2023
Burbot are skinned and then filleted.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2023
Fantastic John Krasinski, Captain Agent Carter America, '90s Professor X: Wanda fillets them all.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
The text is also instructional, explaining how to fillet a whole fish, ferment and pickle, and use layering to achieve unorthodox flavor combinations.
—Von Diaz, Washington Post, 3 June 2022
Fabric bought from Florence bind the cushions made by Sabbagh, and a roving cart becomes a talker when staff use it to carve a whole chicken or fillet a fish tableside.
—Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fillet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fillet
Cite this Entry
“Fillet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fillet. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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