tiger

noun

ti·​ger ˈtī-gər How to pronounce tiger (audio)
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 tamedJ. A. Davenport
often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail
3
British : a groom in livery
tigerish adjective
tigerishly adverb
tigerishness noun
tigerlike adjective

Illustration of tiger

Illustration of tiger
  • tiger 1a

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Driving the news: The tech giant is currently navigating an antitrust lawsuit regarding its search browser, and there's a tiger team dedicated to managing those communications. Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024 A lot of people have drawn some parallels between the tiger character falling ill and the AIDS crisis. Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 9 Dec. 2024 For the new pieces, panther spots and tiger stripes are created in black lacquer against yellow gold or rose gold bands, and a snake scale motif is realized on the white gold band. Roberta Naas, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 Adding to the boutique hotel vibe, there’s a larger-than-life, 30-foot-long bar—the Maranello Bar—with a counter crafted of tiger skin onyx and seating for more than sixteen. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near tiger

Cite this Entry

“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

tiger

noun
ti·​ger ˈtī-gər How to pronounce tiger (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on tiger

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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