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
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
Australian woman finds deadly snake at her feet while driving 50 mph
The woman — who was driving barefoot — managed to pull over and escape being bitten by a tiger snake, one of the world’s most venomous serpents.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024
Among the 20 images is a shot of a rare black tiger, a big cat that gets its name from its extra-wide stripes.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger 
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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
Australian woman finds deadly snake at her feet while driving 50 mph
The woman — who was driving barefoot — managed to pull over and escape being bitten by a tiger snake, one of the world’s most venomous serpents.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024
Among the 20 images is a shot of a rare black tiger, a big cat that gets its name from its extra-wide stripes.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger
Dictionary Entries Near tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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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