bream

1 of 2

noun

ˈbrim  ˈbrēm 

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

ˈbrēm 

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

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

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

Phrases Containing bream

• sea bream

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