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
From nurse to tiger trainer Born Mary Ann Haynie in 1888 or 1889 – the exact year has always been a mystery – Stark grew up in Princeton, Kentucky.
—Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
Such psychedelic experience is echoed in a local belief that the forest spirit appears to dreamers in the form of a tiger.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
His office sports such mementoes as a real saber-tooth tiger skull.
—Luke Burbank, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
As the water came down, my chances of seeing a tiger diminished with it.
—Marcia Desanctis, Air Mail, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
Such psychedelic experience is echoed in a local belief that the forest spirit appears to dreamers in the form of a tiger.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
His office sports such mementoes as a real saber-tooth tiger skull.
—Luke Burbank, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
As the water came down, my chances of seeing a tiger diminished with it.
—Marcia Desanctis, Air Mail, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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
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