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
Jaguars are the only big cat found in the Americas and third-largest cat in the world after tigers and lions, according to National Geographic.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The two shoe models featured an intricate multi-layered embroidery of a large tiger and a mountain alongside Palace branding motifs.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 1 Dec. 2025
Packed with hyaluronic acid, caffeine, red algae, niacinamide, and tiger grass, Mario Badescu’s Hydrogel Under Eye Patches depuff, brighten, and soothe tired eyes in one go.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 29 Nov. 2025
Yes, the cute tiger Derpy, from KPop Demon Hunters, will make his television debut.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The two shoe models featured an intricate multi-layered embroidery of a large tiger and a mountain alongside Palace branding motifs.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 1 Dec. 2025
Packed with hyaluronic acid, caffeine, red algae, niacinamide, and tiger grass, Mario Badescu’s Hydrogel Under Eye Patches depuff, brighten, and soothe tired eyes in one go.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 29 Nov. 2025
Yes, the cute tiger Derpy, from KPop Demon Hunters, will make his television debut.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 28 Nov. 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 7 Dec. 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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