Illustration of tiger
- tiger 1a
plural tigers
1
plural also tiger
a
: a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black
b
: any of several large wildcats (such as the jaguar or cougar)
c
: a domestic cat with striped pattern
d
Australia
: tasmanian tiger
2
a
: a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality
aroused the tiger in him
a tiger for work
b
: someone or something (such as a situation) that is formidable or impossible to control
… how the tiger of inflation can be tamed.—
J. A. Davenport
—often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail
J. A. Davenport3
British
: a groom in livery
tigerishly
adverb
tigerishness
noun
Examples of tiger in a Sentence
He was a tiger on the basketball court.
even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring
Recent Examples on the Web
Their teeth, claws and bones may also be sold as tiger parts.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
One can also be lucky enough to spot white tigers and leopards.
—Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026
It’s crouched like a tiger about to spring, cleverly disguising itself as on the verge of a recession so its prey—presumably all the economic experts telling us we’re headed to economic hell in a handbasket—will be caught off-guard.
—William W Bedsworth, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026
For another Aspen outing, Carey leaned on a different Gucci design, choosing a tall black leather boot with a rounded toe and block heel, paired with black velvet GG-logo pants and a tiger-print fur coat.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
One can also be lucky enough to spot white tigers and leopards.
—Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026
It’s crouched like a tiger about to spring, cleverly disguising itself as on the verge of a recession so its prey—presumably all the economic experts telling us we’re headed to economic hell in a handbasket—will be caught off-guard.
—William W Bedsworth, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026
For another Aspen outing, Carey leaned on a different Gucci design, choosing a tall black leather boot with a rounded toe and block heel, paired with black velvet GG-logo pants and a tiger-print fur coat.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tiger
noun
ti·ger
ˈtī-gər 
plural tigers also tiger
1
: a large Asian flesh-eating mammal of the same family as the domestic cat with a coat that is typically light brown to orange with mostly vertical black stripes
2
: any of several large wildcats (as the jaguar or cougar)
3
: a domestic cat with a striped coat
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