minnow

/ˈmɪnoʊ/
verb
  1. To fish for minnows or to try to catch small fish.
    • He was minnowing with a tiny net when he spotted a turtle.
    • The kids love to minnow off the dock during summer vacation.
    • We spent the afternoon minnowing in the shallow river.
noun
  1. A very small freshwater fish, often used as bait for fishing.
    • The children caught a tiny minnow in the creek with their net.
    • We used minnows as bait to try to catch a larger bass.
    • A school of minnows darted away when my shadow fell on the water.
  2. A person or organization that is small or unimportant compared to others in the same field.
    • The small startup was just a minnow in the tech industry, competing with giants.
    • In the world of international banking, our local credit union is a minnow.
    • He felt like a minnow among sharks at the high-stakes business conference.