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
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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
On New Year’s Day, the body of a male 4.25m (13.9 feet) thresher shark washed up on Par Sands Beach in Cornwall, shocking locals.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Photos show the dead thresher shark and its distinctive tail.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
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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
On New Year’s Day, the body of a male 4.25m (13.9 feet) thresher shark washed up on Par Sands Beach in Cornwall, shocking locals.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Photos show the dead thresher shark and its distinctive tail.
—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 3 Nov. 2025.
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