fang

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
a
: a long sharp tooth: such as
(1)
: one by which an animal's prey is seized and held or torn
(2)
: one of the long hollow or grooved and often erectile teeth of a venomous snake
b
: one of the chelicerae of a spider at the tip of which a poison gland opens
2
: the root of a tooth or one of the processes or prongs into which a root divides
3
: a projecting tooth or prong
fanged adjective
variants or less commonly Fan
ˈfan How to pronounce Fang (audio)
ˈfän
plural Fang or Fangs also Fan or Fans
1
: a member of a Bantu-speaking people of northern Gabon, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and southern Cameroon
2
: the language of the Fang people

Examples of fang in a Sentence

Noun (1) the fangs of a rattlesnake a tiger baring its fangs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Poor Sasha sports feeble fangs and doesn’t have the stomach to feed on the hot-blooded. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 In some cases, males use hooks on their legs to keep the female’s fangs away from him, lest he get bitten or attacked. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Famous fossil is really just paint, rocks and a couple of bones, researchers say The spider is venomous, but its fangs are incapable of breaking human skin. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Rodriguez is the one who decided Tom would have fangs and birthday hats as horns. Laura Trujillo, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Her nails, created by her go-to nail artist Coca Michelle, are reminiscent of a serpent's fangs with dramatic, razor-sharp points. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 13 Feb. 2024 Olivia Rodrigo brought the house down, and brought her fangs out, during her 2024 Grammy Awards performance. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 One group of frogs in Southeast Asia has another distinguishing feature–fangs. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Dec. 2023 Megan Thee Stallion is coiling herself around her haters like a cobra, sinking her fangs in and devouring them. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fang.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, that which is taken, from Old English; akin to Old High German fang seizure, Old English fōn to seize — more at pact

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fang was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near fang

Cite this Entry

“Fang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fang. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fang

noun
1
a
: one of the long sharp teeth which are used by an animal to seize, hold, and tear apart its prey
b
: one of the long hollow or grooved teeth of a poisonous snake
2
: a root of a tooth
fanged adjective

Medical Definition

fang

noun
1
a
: a long sharp tooth: as
(1)
: one by which an animal's prey is seized and held or torn
(2)
: one of the long hollow or grooved and often erectile teeth of a venomous snake
b
: one of a spider's chelicerae at the tip of which a poison gland opens
2
: the root of a tooth or one of the processes or prongs into which a root divides
fanged adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on fang

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