great white shark

noun

: a large mackerel shark (Carcharodon carcharias) of warm seas that is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age and has been known to attack humans

called also white shark

see shark illustration

Examples of great white shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Animal lovers who prefer leaping over dancing will likely enjoy Air Jaws: The Hunt for Colossus, a show that follows researchers' search for Colossus, a great white shark known for soaring jumps, who has been missing for over 10 years. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 23 June 2025

Director Steven Spielberg and author Peter Benchley both expressed regret over how the film contributed to the demonization of great white sharks. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 June 2025

Bruce, the mechanical great white shark and principal antagonist, is named after Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramen. —Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 19 June 2025

Shark Tourism: When The Big Screen Isn’t Close Enough For travelers chasing the thrill of a face-to-face encounter with a great white shark like the one in Jaws, there’s no shortage of terror-level-11 options around the globe. —David Hochman, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for great white shark

• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc
• mark
• marque
• narc
• quark

Kids Definition

great white shark

noun

: a large and dangerous shark of warm seas that is quick to attack human beings and is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age

Medical Definition

great white shark

noun

: a large shark (Carcharodon carcharias of the family Lamnidae) that is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age and has been known to attack humans

called also white shark