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