tiger shark

noun

: a large gray or brown stocky-bodied requiem shark (Galeocerdo cuvieri) that is nearly cosmopolitan especially in warm seas and can be dangerous to humans see shark illustration

Examples of tiger shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The other two are the tiger shark and the great white shark, according to National Geographic. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 29 July 2023 While tiger shark attacks are not common in the Red Sea, the area did see two such fatal attacks last year, per The Guardian. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 9 June 2023 Coots’ new photo book, Shark: Portraits, shows off his striking images of sharks—tiger sharks, great whites, lemons, oceanic white tips—in Hawaii, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Maldives and beyond. Donny Bajohr, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023 In this video narrated by NOAA research scientist Avery Paxton, sand tiger sharks hover above the wreck of the E.M. Clark off North Carolina, with vermilion snapper schooling nearby. Avery Paxton, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 On Instagram, locals were posting images of hammerheads and sand tiger sharks. Emma Allen, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023 That's because tiger sharks, bull sharks, great white sharks, hammerheads and other shark species all have different behaviors and react differently to the various forms of repellents, Gavin Naylor, director of shark research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 July 2023 Yet other larger predators, like tiger sharks that grow up to 14 feet and 1,400 pounds, view hurricanes as an opportunity for the ultimate sea smorgasbord. Popular Science, 28 Sep. 2022 Larger sharks, such as tiger sharks, use the opportunity for a feeding frenzy, scavenging smaller, weaker and injured fish, birds and invertebrates that get battered by debris. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiger shark was circa 1785

Dictionary Entries Near tiger shark

Cite this Entry

“Tiger shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger%20shark. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tiger shark

noun
: a large brown or gray shark of warm seas that sometimes attacks human beings

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