great white shark

noun

: a large mackerel shark (Carcharodon carcharias) of warm seas that is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age and has been known to attack humans

called also white shark

see shark illustration

Examples of great white shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Julien Loeffler, James Kermack Key cast: Ingrid Torelli, Michiel Huisman, Avani Gregg Thirteen years after witnessing her father’s death by a shark in the Devil’s Triangle, an exploration influencer returns to the fateful site, only to face a deadly battle against a great white shark. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025

September and October are typically very busy for great white shark activity along Cape Cod. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2024

In January, a 10-foot tagged great white shark named Crystal pinged off the Sarasota coast after pinging off Pensacola in December. —Jon Chapman, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025

Nature: Canadian and American scientists are trying to figure out what’s causing the brain swelling that’s been linked to great white shark deaths. —Natasha Frost, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for great white shark

• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc
• mark
• marque
• narc
• quark

Kids Definition

great white shark

noun

: a large and dangerous shark of warm seas that is quick to attack human beings and is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age

Medical Definition

great white shark

noun

: a large shark (Carcharodon carcharias of the family Lamnidae) that is bluish when young but becomes whitish with age and has been known to attack humans

called also white shark