Why is it Called Being Catfished?. Ted: I told your mom to shave it up last week and she totally didn't. The term comes from the long barbels, or whiskers that stick out from the mouths of catfish. What does Catfishing mean in Urban Dictionary? I had to give that bitch the catfish to teach her a lesson . I like this definition more.. if that means anything. Taken from the second page of Urban Dictionary definitions, rather than the first page like the other answers. Leaving them looking somewhat like a catfish. While early uses of the term centered on people creating false identities through fake accounts, the term has broadened to anyone who misleadingly present themselves online as better in some way than they really are in real life, often their looks or success. While the whiskers of catfish house their taste buds and are used to search for food in murky waters, the act of catfishing will only serve to make you look like a complete slob, oblivious airhead, or creepy perv. catfish …” A Catfish is a person that is not in touch with reality. The word 'catfish' has made its way into modern language due to the popular documentary and subsequent television series, Catfish. A Catfish lies about who they are, where they are from, they even lie about the family they have. Browse From the 2010 movie Catfish someone who pretends to be someone they are not online to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances. Everything about their entire being is usually always a complete lie. : The sensation of internet predators that fabricate online identities and whole social sectors to trick people into emotional/romantic interactions (over… Everything about their entire being is usually always a complete lie. Catfish can be a noun or a verb, with the impersonator sometimes called the catfish.