Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

tiger

play
noun ti·ger \ˈtī-gər\

Definition of tiger

plural

tigers

  1. 1 plural also tiger a :  a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with blackb :  any of several large wildcats (such as the jaguar or cougar)c :  a domestic cat with striped patternd Australia :  tasmanian tiger

  2. 2a :  a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality aroused the tiger in him a tiger for workb :  someone or something (such as a situation) that is formidable or impossible to control how the tiger of inflation can be tamed — J. A. Davenport —often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail

  3. 3 British :  a groom in livery

tigerish

play \-g(ə-)rish\ adjective

tigerishly

adverb

tigerishness

noun

tigerlike

play \-gər-ˌlīk\ adjective

See tiger defined for English-language learners

See tiger defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
alt-597233d35a146
Trending: 'Scaramouch,' Scaramucci Possibly to Fandango

Examples of tiger in a Sentence

  1. He was a tiger on the basketball court.

  2. even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring

Illustration of tiger

Origin and Etymology of tiger

Middle English tigre, from Old English tiger & Anglo-French tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Greek, probably of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan tighra- pointed; akin to Greek stizein to tattoo — more at stick

tiger Synonyms

Synonyms
barracuda, fire-breather, fire-eater, pit bull
Antonyms
milquetoast
Related Words
attack dog, hatchet man; aggressor, bully, shark; go-getter, hustler, live wire, self-starter; battler, fighter, scrapper; diehard, militant
Near Antonyms
pushover, pussycat, reed, softy (or softie), weakling, wimp

TIGER Defined for English Language Learners

tiger

play
noun

Definition of tiger for English Language Learners

  • : a large, wild cat that has a coat of usually yellow or orange fur and black stripes and that lives in Asia

  • : a striped cat that lives with people

  • : a person who is very fierce or aggressive

TIGER Defined for Kids

tiger

play
noun ti·ger \ˈtī-gər\

Definition of tiger for Students

  1. :  a large Asian meat-eating animal of the cat family that is light brown with black stripes

Learn More about tiger

  1. See words that rhyme with tiger Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tiger Spanish Central: Translation of tiger Nglish: Translation of tiger for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tiger for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tiger

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tiger? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

haphazard

play

marked by lack of plan or order

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  2. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  3. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  4. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  5. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

tiger

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: tiger in a Sentence