piranha

noun

pi·​ra·​nha pə-ˈrä-nə 

-ˈrän-yə,

-ˈran- 

plural piranhas or piranha

: any of various usually small South American characin fishes (genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus) that have very sharp teeth, often appear in schools, and include some that may attack and inflict dangerous wounds upon humans and large animals

called also caribe

Examples of piranha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And then there are the active adventures, from kayaking the Amazon River to fishing for piranha to taking a night hike to spot nocturnal creatures. —Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2024

Weird & Wild: In this exhibit, there are fascinating species from around the world, such as poison dart frogs, piranha, pea pufferfish and axolotls. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 17 June 2024

Both pacu and piranha species can change appearance throughout various stages of their life, and males and females often look different from one another, also making thevarious species hard to tell apart, according to London’s Natural History Museum. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 13 June 2024

Alexandre Aja helmed his loose remake of the B-movie classic about a school of piranha that causes bloody chaos at a waterside resort. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, from Tupi pirã́ja, pirã́nʸa, from pirá fish + ã́ja, ã́nʸa tooth

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

piranha

noun

pi·​ra·​nha pə-ˈran-yə  -ˈrän-(y)ə 

: any of various usually small flesh-eating South American freshwater fishes that have very sharp teeth, often occur in groups, and include some that may attack human beings and animals in the water