shark

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈshärk 

: any of numerous mostly marine cartilaginous fishes of medium to large size that have a fusiform body, lateral branchial clefts, and a tough usually dull gray skin roughened by minute tubercles and are typically active predators sometimes dangerous to humans

sharklike

ˈshärk-ˌlīk 

adjective

see also:

jump the shark

Illustration of shark

• 1 mako
• 2 tiger
• 3 thresher
• 4 hammerhead
• 5 great white

shark

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a rapacious crafty person who takes advantage of others often through usury, extortion, or devious means

loan sharks

2

: one who excels greatly especially in a particular field

shark

3 of 3

verb

sharked; sharking; sharks

transitive verb

1

archaic : to gather hastily

2

archaic : to obtain by some irregular means

intransitive verb

1

archaic : to practice fraud or trickery

2

archaic : sneak

Synonyms of shark

Noun (2)

• dodger
• cheat

Examples of shark in a Sentence

Noun (2)

a card shark

a shark at calculus

being a new arrival in Hollywood, she was easy prey for the sharks in the movie business

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fusiliers stream overhead in huge numbers, while a white-tip reef shark patrols the wall before vanishing into the endless blue below. — Avantika Chaturvedi, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026

There is a different theory, though, and that is that the shark in question wasn't a shark at all, but instead was a tarpon. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Verb

Steiner posts shark footage on his Instagram account @caveman_476. — Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026

From great whites and whale sharks to shark conservation and the truth behind 'Jaws,' this Shark Week special dives into one of the ocean's most misunderstood animals. — Sarah Scanlan, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English

Noun (2)

probably modification of German Schurke scoundrel

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing shark

• anti-shark
• basking shark
• black-tipped shark
• blacktip shark
• blue shark
• bull shark
• card shark
• great white shark
• jump the shark
• lemon shark
• loan shark
• mackerel shark
• mako shark
• man-eating shark
• megamouth shark
• nurse shark
• oceanic white-tipped shark
• oceanic whitetip shark
• requiem shark
• shark repellent
• shark sucker
• thresher shark
• tiger shark
• whale shark
• white shark
• white-tipped shark
• whitetip reef shark
• whitetip shark

Rhymes for shark

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

Kids Definition

shark

1 of 2 noun

ˈshärk 

: any of numerous marine fishes that have rough grayish skin and a skeleton made of cartilage, that usually prey on other animals and are sometimes dangerous to people, and that include some caught for the oil in their livers or for their hide from which a leather is made

sharklike

ˈshär-ˌklīk 

adjective

shark

2 of 2 noun

1

: a sly greedy person who takes advantage of others

a loan shark

2

: a person who outdoes others especially in a certain area

a shark at arithmetic