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 incident comes shortly after the Punjab government made amendments to the Wildlife Act of 1974 to try to regulate the ownership of animals such as lions and tigers.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
Buyers will find small tiger and iguana graphics on the windows of the rear doors.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
An additional five animals at a private animal sanctuary in Colorado — two tigers, one lion, a mountain lion and a fox — also perished from eating the food.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The start-up, which also has its sights set on reviving the dodo bird and the Tasmanian tiger, is looking to enhance biodiversity, restore ecosystems’ balance, and benefit the general animal kingdom with its de-extinction projects.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tiger 
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Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
Buyers will find small tiger and iguana graphics on the windows of the rear doors.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
An additional five animals at a private animal sanctuary in Colorado — two tigers, one lion, a mountain lion and a fox — also perished from eating the food.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The start-up, which also has its sights set on reviving the dodo bird and the Tasmanian tiger, is looking to enhance biodiversity, restore ecosystems’ balance, and benefit the general animal kingdom with its de-extinction projects.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025
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 6 Feb. 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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