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
Cheetah print, tiger print, leopard print…except for the occasional zebra or rancher-coded cow, animal print is usually reminiscent of a big cat.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
Sarah Sherman Samuel transforms high-quality hemp bedding with a tiger illustration—drawn by her son, no less—to make a set of shams perfect for elevating your bedding set with custom-like details.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2026
For example, Oprah recently put her spin on a very chic Saint Laurent suit, and tiger print has been spotted on Rihanna and Kendall Jenner.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Wildcat manufactures its lion, tiger and bear-looking outerwear at a factory in China.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
Sarah Sherman Samuel transforms high-quality hemp bedding with a tiger illustration—drawn by her son, no less—to make a set of shams perfect for elevating your bedding set with custom-like details.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2026
For example, Oprah recently put her spin on a very chic Saint Laurent suit, and tiger print has been spotted on Rihanna and Kendall Jenner.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Wildcat manufactures its lion, tiger and bear-looking outerwear at a factory in China.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 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 12 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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