thresher shark
noun
: a large nearly cosmopolitan shark (Alopias vulpinus) that has a greatly elongated curved upper lobe of the tail which is often used to thresh the water to round up the schooling fish on which it feeds see shark illustration
Examples of thresher shark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet another thresher shark washed up dead on a Cape beach over the weekend — the second shark that was recently found stranded on a bay beach.
—
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Dec. 2025
The organization said strandings of thresher sharks are particularly common during the colder months along the shores of Cape Cod.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Dec. 2025
The shipment − valued by the National Police of Peru at more than $11.2 million on the international market − included fins from species including blue sharks and thresher sharks.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Elphinstone Reef consistently ranks among the world’s best dive sites thanks to its abundance of healthy soft corals and frequent shark sightings, including the chance to see everything from thresher sharks to scalloped hammerheads.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
Once made official, this would shatter the state record for thresher shark, the mark was set in 2006 by Mark Hiller at 467 pounds, according to the DEEP saltwater state fish record book.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025
Just a few months earlier, another thresher shark was found dead on a beach in Devon, hinting at a troubling trend for this vulnerable species.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
The dead thresher shark was moved from Par Beach to be studied.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
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Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Dec. 2025
The organization said strandings of thresher sharks are particularly common during the colder months along the shores of Cape Cod.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Dec. 2025
The shipment − valued by the National Police of Peru at more than $11.2 million on the international market − included fins from species including blue sharks and thresher sharks.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Elphinstone Reef consistently ranks among the world’s best dive sites thanks to its abundance of healthy soft corals and frequent shark sightings, including the chance to see everything from thresher sharks to scalloped hammerheads.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
Once made official, this would shatter the state record for thresher shark, the mark was set in 2006 by Mark Hiller at 467 pounds, according to the DEEP saltwater state fish record book.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025
Just a few months earlier, another thresher shark was found dead on a beach in Devon, hinting at a troubling trend for this vulnerable species.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
The dead thresher shark was moved from Par Beach to be studied.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thresher shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thresher%20shark. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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