: any of numerous small often brightly colored South American characin fishes often bred in tropical aquariums
variants
or tetr-
1
: four : having four : having four parts
tetravalent
2
: containing four atoms or groups (of a specified kind)
tetrachloride
Examples of tetra in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2024
What to Look for in the Best Chlorine Shampoos
When searching for the best chlorine shampoos, look for ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ethylene diamine tetra acetic-acid (EDTA), sodium thiosulfate, charcoal, and crystallized vitamin C to effectively remove chlorine.
—Joseph Cheatham, Men's Health, 17 July 2023
Mexican blind cavefish, or Astyanax fasciatus, are a kind of small tetra sometimes found in home aquariums.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2014
The cardinal tetra, found only in the Rio Negro and Orinoco, is the most popular aquarium fish in Europe.
—Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013
The cardinal tetra is just one of many species uniquely adapted for life in Brazil’s Rio Negro.
—Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013
Because cavefish have evolved to live in an oxygen deficient environment, researchers weren't surprised to find that embryonic specimen exhibited more gene markers for hypoxia in comparison to the Mexican tetra.
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 11 June 2020
Jio’s milk tetra packs were puffed and dirty like someone picked them up from the mud and put them directly in the bag.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 3 June 2020
Like Mendez, who was born with an extremely rare condition called tetra-amelia syndrome, Perrino faces a multitude of challenges every day.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2019
Noun
Maine Daniel Grill/tetra Images | Tetra Images | Getty Images
The Pine Tree State is America’s safest, with just 29 homicides in the whole state in 2022.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2024
What to Look for in the Best Chlorine Shampoos
When searching for the best chlorine shampoos, look for ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ethylene diamine tetra acetic-acid (EDTA), sodium thiosulfate, charcoal, and crystallized vitamin C to effectively remove chlorine.
—Joseph Cheatham, Men's Health, 17 July 2023
Mexican blind cavefish, or Astyanax fasciatus, are a kind of small tetra sometimes found in home aquariums.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2014
The cardinal tetra, found only in the Rio Negro and Orinoco, is the most popular aquarium fish in Europe.
—Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013
The cardinal tetra is just one of many species uniquely adapted for life in Brazil’s Rio Negro.
—Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013
Because cavefish have evolved to live in an oxygen deficient environment, researchers weren't surprised to find that embryonic specimen exhibited more gene markers for hypoxia in comparison to the Mexican tetra.
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 11 June 2020
Jio’s milk tetra packs were puffed and dirty like someone picked them up from the mud and put them directly in the bag.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 3 June 2020
Like Mendez, who was born with an extremely rare condition called tetra-amelia syndrome, Perrino faces a multitude of challenges every day.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tetra.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tetra
Cite this Entry
“Tetra.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetra. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tetra
1 of 2 noun
tet·ra
ˈte-trə 
: any of various small brightly colored South American fishes often kept in tropical aquariums
tetra-
2 of 2 combining form
: four : having four : having four parts
Etymology
Combining form
derived from Greek tetra- "four"
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