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 California Highway Patrol responded to a call this week of a possible baby tiger stranded on the side of a highway in San Luis Obispo County.
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Lions and tigers, as well as the gods Hermes and Pan, appear in the scene, too.
—Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
Currently, the gorals are being housed in the former tiger habitat, according to the zoo.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
This pair is kept more traditional with black tiger stripes branding, while a summer-ready light blue fills in all of the accents, including the sneaker’s Gel cushioning.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Lions and tigers, as well as the gods Hermes and Pan, appear in the scene, too.
—Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
Currently, the gorals are being housed in the former tiger habitat, according to the zoo.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
This pair is kept more traditional with black tiger stripes branding, while a summer-ready light blue fills in all of the accents, including the sneaker’s Gel cushioning.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 June 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 6 Jul. 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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