tiger

noun

ti·ger | \ ˈtī-gər

plural tigers

Definition of tiger

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

2a : 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

3 British : a groom in livery

Other Words from tiger Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tiger

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Other Words from tiger

tigerish \ ˈtī-g(ə-)rish

\ adjective

tigerishly adverb

tigerishness noun

tigerlike \ ˈtī-gər-ˌlīk

\ adjective

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

Up there with tiger tooth extraction and female bonobo ejaculation sampling is giving a pregnant shark an ultrasound. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Some Unborn Sharks Swim from Uterus to Uterus Inside Their Mom," 7 Jan. 2019 But for men, a tiger-striped coat or leopard button-down still feels like a risk. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "10 Trends We Expect to See in Men’s Street Style This Year," 2 Jan. 2019 The male tiger cub appeared to be three or four months old, officials said. — Fox News, "Live tiger left inside duffel bag by smugglers trying to cross Rio Grande into US, officials say," 2 Oct. 2018 However, cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski notes that the ingredient is also referred to as gotu kola, Indian Pennywort, and tiger grass. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "Why Cica Is the Latest K-Beauty Ingredient Taking Over Skin-Care Products," 14 Aug. 2018 Downriver is a national park that is home to wild elephants, tigers and rhinoceroses. — Eric Bellman, WSJ, "Amazon, to Win in Booming Rural India, Reinvents Itself," 31 Dec. 2018 For the next phase of the research, the team collected severed cat tongues from six different species: a domestic cat, a bobcat, a cougar, a snow leopard, a tiger, and a lion. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Science says your cat’s tongue is ideally suited for grooming fur," 28 Dec. 2018 For The New Yorker, journalist Brooke Jarvis traveled to the rugged Australian island to investigate both the tiger and the culture of truth-seekers surrounding it. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Our Planet Still Has Secrets: Talking Tasmanian Tigers with Journalist Brooke Jarvis," 5 July 2018 For lovers of big cats, Dynasties features a den of lions that roam Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve, as well as tigers in the jungles of India’s Bandhavgarh National Park. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "BBC Earth's "Dynasties" Pulls at Heartstrings With the Painted Wolves’ Fight for Survival," 12 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tiger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.