Dolly Varden
noun
Dol·ly Var·den
ˌdä-lē-ˈvär-dᵊn- 
variants
or Dolly Varden trout
: a large freshwater or anadromous char (Salvelinus malma) that is widespread in streams of northwestern North America and eastern Asia, may attain a weight of 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms) but is usually much smaller, and is typically olive green to greenish-brown with yellow to red spots when found in fresh water and silvery with orange spots in salt water
Examples of Dolly Varden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nevis Creek, a noisy, shallow stream with occasional deep pools full of lazy Dolly Varden trout, fishtailed back and forth from wall to wall of its canyon.
—
Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024
Norton put the Dolly Varden in a metal bucket to take home to his mother.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
These frigid Arctic waters aren’t particularly productive, biologically speaking, meaning there isn’t normally a tremendous amount for native species like Dolly Varden and Arctic char to eat.
—WIRED, 18 Oct. 2023
The year of 1987 brought a critical event, the first appearance of fish — insect larva-loving Dolly Varden char.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023
The year of 1987 brought a critical event, the first appearance of fish—insect larva-loving Dolly Varden char.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023
Pilot Morin guessed the fish was about 12-18 inches long and may have been a Dolly Varden, appropriate given the season.
—David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2022
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Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024
Norton put the Dolly Varden in a metal bucket to take home to his mother.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
These frigid Arctic waters aren’t particularly productive, biologically speaking, meaning there isn’t normally a tremendous amount for native species like Dolly Varden and Arctic char to eat.
—WIRED, 18 Oct. 2023
The year of 1987 brought a critical event, the first appearance of fish — insect larva-loving Dolly Varden char.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023
The year of 1987 brought a critical event, the first appearance of fish—insect larva-loving Dolly Varden char.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023
Pilot Morin guessed the fish was about 12-18 inches long and may have been a Dolly Varden, appropriate given the season.
—David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Dolly Varden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Dolly%20Varden. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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