He was a tiger on the basketball court.
even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring
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One recent afternoon, Warren greets THR wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with a tiger’s face.—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025 Vyaghra is a tiger embodying power, stealth and protection, while Nakra is a crocodile evoking strength, adaptability and primal force.—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025 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 Managers must ride the tiger, always.—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tiger
Word History
Etymology
Middle English tigre, from Old English tiger & Anglo-French tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Greek, probably of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan tighra- pointed; akin to Greek stizein to tattoo — more at stick
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tiger was
before the 12th century
: 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)
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