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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
Larger tiger sharks, for example, are more of a threat than smaller sharks, who may avoid bigger dolphins.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
That said, white, bull, and tiger sharks, which were responsible for 2023’s fatal attacks, are often big enough to kill a human with just one bite.
—Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 8 Feb. 2024
Many migrant species rarely seen from Puerto Rico proper come close to shore: dolphins, pilot whales, tiger sharks, bluefin tuna, flying fish.
—Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Bull sharks are among the shark species most likely to have a negative interaction with humans, along with the great white shark and the tiger shark.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024
Upon capture, the tiger shark's stomach was everted and even after release, the stomach remained as such.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Sand tiger sharks have been overfished in Brazil for decades and, in 2018, were declared critically endangered.
—Sarah Sloat, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
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
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
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 29 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
tiger shark
noun
: a large brown or gray shark of warm seas that sometimes attacks human beings
More from Merriam-Webster on tiger shark
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tiger shark
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