tiger

noun

ti·​ger ˈtī-gər 

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

3

British : a groom in livery

tigerish

ˈtī-g(ə-)rish 

adjective

tigerishly adverb

tigerishness noun

tigerlike

ˈtī-gər-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of tiger

• tiger 1a

Synonyms

• barracuda
• fire-breather
• fire-eater
• pit bull

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 company plans to recreate the mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, by editing the genome of each species’ closest living relative to make a hybrid animal that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025

To the west of the Wallace Line—in Borneo, Sumatra and Java—you’d encounter creatures with deep Asian roots: tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants and primates. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Jennifer Hudson wore a tiger print sweater with a waist-cinching belt on an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, while Kelly Clarkson and Eva Mendes both reached for leopard print dresses. —Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025

In the photo, Trachtenberg wore a blue sweater with a tiger on it. —David Faris, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

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

Phrases Containing tiger

• Amur tiger
• Asian tiger mosquito
• Bengal tiger
• blind tiger
• false saber-toothed tiger
• paper tiger
• saber-toothed tiger
• saber-tooth tiger
• Siberian tiger
• Tasmanian tiger
• tiger beetle
• tiger cat
• tiger lily
• tiger maple
• tiger mosquito
• tiger moth
• tiger salamander
• tiger's-eye
• tiger shark
• tiger shrimp
• tiger swallowtail

Rhymes for tiger

• geiger

Kids 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