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
Dancing With Sharks - Watch five divers compete to put together an amazing underwater routine with sharks, from hammerheads to tigers and nurse sharks.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Five divers compete to put together an amazing underwater routine with their toothy partners — from hammerheads to tigers and nurse sharks.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 20 July 2025
Aquatic bird-watchers: look for the jabiru, tiger heron, and white ibis.
—AFAR Media, 8 July 2025
As with most scientific claims, skepticism quickly followed — particularly since the company expressed ambitions to revive other extinct species like the Tasmanian tiger, mammoth, and dodo.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiger
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Five divers compete to put together an amazing underwater routine with their toothy partners — from hammerheads to tigers and nurse sharks.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 20 July 2025
Aquatic bird-watchers: look for the jabiru, tiger heron, and white ibis.
—AFAR Media, 8 July 2025
As with most scientific claims, skepticism quickly followed — particularly since the company expressed ambitions to revive other extinct species like the Tasmanian tiger, mammoth, and dodo.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 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 29 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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