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 small, mouse-like marsupial’s genome will be edited to resemble the Tasmanian tiger genome, and its eggs are intended to host the edited nucleus.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024
Where to watch or stream: Tubi, Amazon Prime Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
This animated show features an adorable young tiger, catchy songs, and relatable stories.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 28 Oct. 2024
The pieces made of cotton and linen included prints of four celestial elements a dragon, a tiger, a tortoise and a bird.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Out of Africa Wildlife Park provides an intimate look at lions, tigers, hippos, giraffes and plenty more.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger 
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024
Where to watch or stream: Tubi, Amazon Prime Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
This animated show features an adorable young tiger, catchy songs, and relatable stories.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 28 Oct. 2024
The pieces made of cotton and linen included prints of four celestial elements a dragon, a tiger, a tortoise and a bird.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Out of Africa Wildlife Park provides an intimate look at lions, tigers, hippos, giraffes and plenty more.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tiger.' 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 tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 5 Nov. 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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