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# stickleback

noun (a stickleback, sticklebacks)

«stickleback» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A stickleback is a small fish with sharp spines on its back, found in ponds, streams and coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#m1)
2. The male three-spined stickleback builds a nest of plants and turns red underneath in the breeding season. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on ponds, food chains and animal behaviour, sticklebacks are easy to watch: the male builds a nest, guards the eggs and fans water over them. Children in the UK, Ireland and Canada may catch them in a net at a pond (and should put them back). Phrases: «three-spined stickleback», «pond dipping».

### Examples

- We caught a stickleback while pond dipping and then let it go. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x1)
- The stickleback has spiky spines on its back. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x2)
- The male stickleback builds a nest and guards the eggs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x3)
- In spring the male stickleback's belly turns red. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x4)
- Herons and kingfishers eat sticklebacks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x5)
- Sticklebacks raise their spines so bigger fish can't swallow them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x6)
- Scientists study sticklebacks to learn how animals change over time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/#x7)

### Note

Countable: a stickleback, sticklebacks. Compound of «stickle» (spine, prickle) + «back». Handle gently with wet hands and return to the water.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «stickleback» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stickleback/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stickleback» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/stickleback.html) on Mova free.