From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsardinesar‧dine /ˌsɑːˈdiːn◂ $ ˌsɑːr-/ noun 1 [countable]HBFDF a small young fish that is often packed in flat metal boxes when it is sold as food2 → be packed like sardines
Examples from the Corpus
sardine• Breakfast on the Franklin, dinner out of a sardine can, supper at the Claiendon.• Tuna, salmon, and sardines are the most frequently purchased kinds of canned fish.• Squeezed like despondent sardines, they looked as if they were huddling for warmth.• Iced sardines are trodden underfoot to soften them up.• With bigger fish in serious decline, mackerel, sardines and anchovies are now the main targets.• Dinner was sardines and stew, made palatable by two lots of vodka.Origin sardine (1400-1500) French Latin sardina 