Noun, uncountable. Very small young fish — usually the babies of herring, sprats or similar species — cooked and eaten whole, heads, bones, tails and all. They are normally rolled in flour and deep-fried, and served as a heap of tiny crisp fish that you eat with your fingers or a fork, often with lemon. In Britain it is a classic pub and seaside dish, and an old-fashioned starter in restaurants.

The word behaves like a mass noun: you say "some whitebait" or "a plate of whitebait", not "three whitebaits". It names the food more than the animal — you rarely hear about whitebait swimming; you hear about whitebait on a menu.

One thing worth knowing: 'whitebait' is not one species. It is a catch-all for whatever tiny young fish are caught locally, so it means different fish in different places. In New Zealand, whitebait means the young of the native īnanga and its relatives — a seasonal delicacy, very expensive, eaten in fritters, and a matter of real cultural feeling. In Britain it is much cheaper and much more ordinary. Because these fish are caught before they can breed, whitebait fishing is controversial and tightly controlled in some countries.