mackerel shark
noun
: any of a family (Lamnidae) of large sharks of tropical to cool temperate oceans that have a pointed snout and relatively few, large teeth and include the great white shark and mako sharks
especially
: porbeagle
Examples of mackerel shark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The temperature of mackerel sharks also tends to vary across different body parts.
—
John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2023
Megalodon was a white or mackerel shark, related to today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Megalodon is a mackerel shark, as is today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Massive prehistoric marine creatures like the megalodon, a mackerel shark thought to have been more than 50 feet long, lived and died in what is now the Cooper River, a short, wide river that begins at Lake Moultrie and eventually empties into Charleston Harbor.
—Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2023
Among the small remains found in the wreckage and debris was a turquoise and gold necklace made from the tooth of a Megalodon, a massive species of extinct mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago.
—Mario Abad, Robb Report, 26 May 2023
Megalodon was a colossal species of mackerel shark that stalked the oceans 3.6 to 23 million years ago.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 June 2022
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon researchers produced a skillful ten-year cod forecast, ecologists found that the age of a lobster can be determined by its DNA, and paleontologists sought to determine why so few species of mackerel shark are alive today.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
Orange Beach, with the nickname Mako – a large mackerel shark – will start its varsity football existence in Class 2A, Region 1.
—al, 12 Aug. 2020
John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2023
Megalodon was a white or mackerel shark, related to today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Megalodon is a mackerel shark, as is today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Massive prehistoric marine creatures like the megalodon, a mackerel shark thought to have been more than 50 feet long, lived and died in what is now the Cooper River, a short, wide river that begins at Lake Moultrie and eventually empties into Charleston Harbor.
—Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2023
Among the small remains found in the wreckage and debris was a turquoise and gold necklace made from the tooth of a Megalodon, a massive species of extinct mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago.
—Mario Abad, Robb Report, 26 May 2023
Megalodon was a colossal species of mackerel shark that stalked the oceans 3.6 to 23 million years ago.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 June 2022
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon researchers produced a skillful ten-year cod forecast, ecologists found that the age of a lobster can be determined by its DNA, and paleontologists sought to determine why so few species of mackerel shark are alive today.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
Orange Beach, with the nickname Mako – a large mackerel shark – will start its varsity football existence in Class 2A, Region 1.
—al, 12 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mackerel shark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near mackerel shark
Cite this Entry
“Mackerel shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mackerel%20shark. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
mackerel shark
noun
mack·er·el shark
ˈmak-(ə-)rəl- 
: any of a family (Lamnidae) of large aggressive pelagic sharks that include the great white shark
More from Merriam-Webster on mackerel shark
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mackerel shark
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