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
Misha, one of the zoo's tigers, missed in her prediction last year.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 3 Feb. 2026
There are many doors in Emily’s world—doors for liars, stair climbers, tigers, snakes, and those who speak very quietly—but none for Emily.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Some animals, like the tigers, bask in the below-normal temperatures, and become more active and playful, Magill said.
—Dan Peck, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2026
The black and orange dress got the animal print thanks to its tile-like material placed over the garment in a tiger print pattern.
—Tara Larson, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 3 Feb. 2026
There are many doors in Emily’s world—doors for liars, stair climbers, tigers, snakes, and those who speak very quietly—but none for Emily.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Some animals, like the tigers, bask in the below-normal temperatures, and become more active and playful, Magill said.
—Dan Peck, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2026
The black and orange dress got the animal print thanks to its tile-like material placed over the garment in a tiger print pattern.
—Tara Larson, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 5 Feb. 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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