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
At its peak in the early 2000s, the sanctuary was home to 33 large cats, including lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs, RNZ reported.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
That’s because when high-altitude clouds of sulfur dioxide eventually form sulfuric acid, the resulting acid rain will help destroy the forests, jungles, crops, tigers, penguins, and reindeer that SAI was supposed to protect.
—New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2025
As people were so fond of saying in 1982, Bruce got back to the eye of the tiger.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
The living room wallpaper features a floral tiger print with marigold, teal, and peach hues.
—Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
That’s because when high-altitude clouds of sulfur dioxide eventually form sulfuric acid, the resulting acid rain will help destroy the forests, jungles, crops, tigers, penguins, and reindeer that SAI was supposed to protect.
—New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2025
As people were so fond of saying in 1982, Bruce got back to the eye of the tiger.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
The living room wallpaper features a floral tiger print with marigold, teal, and peach hues.
—Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 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
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