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
The black tiger stripes are a sleek touch, and the orange trim around the numbers adds continuity.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Simone Rocha’s sculptural pillow bags and puffed pieces perfectly captured that mix of fragility and strength that defines her vision, while Gucci’s tiger-print shearling jacket delivered pure statement energy with its audacious attitude.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Managers must ride the tiger, always.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Even the film’s animal characters, the tiger and magpie, are inspired by Korean folk painting.
—Claire Wang, NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
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Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Simone Rocha’s sculptural pillow bags and puffed pieces perfectly captured that mix of fragility and strength that defines her vision, while Gucci’s tiger-print shearling jacket delivered pure statement energy with its audacious attitude.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Managers must ride the tiger, always.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Even the film’s animal characters, the tiger and magpie, are inspired by Korean folk painting.
—Claire Wang, NBC news, 12 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 19 Oct. 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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