finning

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   the practice of cutting the fins off sharks, often while they are still alive, usually to sell the fins for food.

   Grammar: No plural and no article: say 'Finning is banned', not 'a finning'.

   Patterns

   • shark finning
   • ban finning
   • finning is illegal

   Shark finning has been banned in many countries because it kills millions of animals each year.

   The documentary showed how finning threatens several shark species with extinction.

   Campaigners want stricter laws against finning in international waters.

2. 2noununcountablesport

   the activity of swimming underwater using flippers or fins, especially as a sport or exercise.

   Grammar: Used mainly in sport and diving contexts; it is not the usual word for ordinary swimming.

   Patterns

   • go finning
   • finning gear
   • finning session

   We went finning along the reef to get a closer look at the fish.

   The club offers finning lessons for beginners who want to move faster in the water.

3. 3verbtransitive or intransitive

   present participle of fin: moving through water by kicking with flippers, or cutting the fins off a fish.

   Grammar: As a verb form it needs a subject: 'They were finning the sharks' or 'She was finning across the pool'.

   Patterns

   • be finning
   • finning the sharks
   • finning through the water

   The divers were finning slowly to avoid disturbing the turtles.

   Fishermen were caught finning sharks and leaving the bodies at sea.

Common combinations

shark finning

Shark finning is illegal in Australian waters.

ban on finning

The government introduced a complete ban on finning last year.

finning industry

The finning industry has declined as demand for shark fin soup falls.

anti-fininning campaign

She joined an anti-fininning campaign after watching the film.

Synonyms and how they differ

shark finning

The full term is more precise and is the usual choice in news reports; 'finning' alone can also mean swimming with fins.

fin cutting

A descriptive phrase rather than a fixed term; it is clearer to non-specialists but less common.

Word family

fin noun

The thin part on a fish's body, or a flipper worn by a swimmer.

finned adjective

Having fins, as in 'a finned fish'.

finner noun

A person who removes fins from sharks, or a type of whale with a fin.

Commonly confused: finning or fining?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “finning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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