Illustration of tiger
- tiger 1a
plural tigers
1
plural also tiger
a
: a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black
b
: any of several large wildcats (such as the jaguar or cougar)
c
: a domestic cat with striped pattern
d
Australia
: tasmanian tiger
2
a
: a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality
aroused the tiger in him
a tiger for work
b
: 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
J. A. Davenport3
British
: a groom in livery
tigerishly
adverb
tigerishness
noun
Examples of tiger in a Sentence
He was a tiger on the basketball court.
even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring
Recent Examples on the Web
Horn was left partially paralyzed by the tiger attack and, after a brief comeback in 2010, the pair retired from show business.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
The tiger had jumped into the kraal and killed the calves first.
—Cyril E. Holland, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
The look resembles a piece Madonna would wear to perform in the 1980s with its tiger pint and provocative pointed breast details.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 6 May 2025
Avocado Lime Pie Avocado lime mousse, tiger nut crust, whipped coconut cream, mango gel, kiwi gelée
The star attraction on the dessert menu is the avocado lime pie.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
The tiger had jumped into the kraal and killed the calves first.
—Cyril E. Holland, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
The look resembles a piece Madonna would wear to perform in the 1980s with its tiger pint and provocative pointed breast details.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 6 May 2025
Avocado Lime Pie Avocado lime mousse, tiger nut crust, whipped coconut cream, mango gel, kiwi gelée
The star attraction on the dessert menu is the avocado lime pie.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tiger
noun
ti·ger
ˈtī-gər 
plural tigers also tiger
1
: a large Asian flesh-eating mammal of the same family as the domestic cat with a coat that is typically light brown to orange with mostly vertical black stripes
2
: any of several large wildcats (as the jaguar or cougar)
3
: a domestic cat with a striped coat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share