tusk

1 of 2

noun

ˈtəsk 

1

: an elongated greatly enlarged tooth (as of an elephant or walrus) that projects when the mouth is closed and serves especially for digging food or as a weapon

broadly : a long protruding tooth

2

: one of the small projections on a tusk tenon

tusked

ˈtəskt 

adjective

tusklike

ˈtəsk-ˌlīk 

adjective

tusk

2 of 2

verb

tusked; tusking; tusks

transitive verb

: to dig up with a tusk

also : to gash with a tusk

Examples of tusk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For more than five hundred years, scientists had been unable to figure out the purpose of the narwhal’s tusk— a single tooth that can be up to nine feet long. —Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025

Leaves may be flat or wavy or even cylindrical and shaped like tusks, arranged in a configuration like a fan, or maybe a pineapple top or the most emphatic of cockatoo’s crests. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025

Verb

Many details have remained unknown about narwhals, the elusive tusked whales that dive in the icy waters of Canada’s High Arctic. —Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025

Biotechnology start-up Colossal Biosciences Inc., which is using DNA and genomics in an attempt to re-introduce extinct animals, hopes to bring that tusked beast back in the world by late 2028. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, alteration of tux, from Old English tūx; akin to Old English tūsc tush

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1629, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tusk

• tusk tenon

Rhymes for tusk

• brusque
• busk
• dusk
• husk
• musk

Kids Definition

tusk

1 of 2 noun

ˈtəsk 

1

: a very long large tooth (as of an elephant, walrus, or boar) that sticks out when the mouth is closed and is used especially for digging food or as a weapon

2

: a tooth-shaped part

tusked

ˈtəskt 

adjective

tusk

2 of 2 verb

: to dig up or gash with a tusk

Medical Definition

tusk

noun

ˈtəsk 

: an elongated greatly enlarged tooth that projects when the mouth is closed and serves for digging food or as a weapon

broadly : a long protruding tooth