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• fang
  fang

  noun

  one of the long, sharp, hollow or grooved teeth of a venomous snake by which poison is injected.
• Fang
  Fang

  noun

  a member of an Indigenous people of Gabon, Cameroon, and adjacent areas.

fang

¹ American  

[fang] / fæŋ /

noun

• fangs
  plural

1. one of the long, sharp, hollow or grooved teeth of a venomous snake by which poison is injected.

2. a canine tooth.

3. a tooth resembling a dog's.

4. the root of a tooth.

5. one of the chelicerae of a spider.

6. a pointed, tapering part of a thing.

7. Machinery. the tang of a tool.

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fang ² American  

[fang] / fæŋ /

verb (used with object)

British Dialect.

1. to seize; grab.

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Fang ³ American  

[fang, fahng, fahn] / fæŋ, fɑŋ, fɑ̃ /

Also Fan

noun

• Fangs,
  plural
• Fang
  plural

1. Also called Pahouin, Pangwe.  a member of an Indigenous people of Gabon, Cameroon, and adjacent areas.

2. the Bantu language spoken by this people.

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fang ¹ British  

/ fæŋ /

noun

1. the long pointed hollow or grooved tooth of a venomous snake through which venom is injected

2. any large pointed tooth, esp the canine or carnassial tooth of a carnivorous mammal

3. the root of a tooth

4. informal (usually plural) tooth

   clean your fangs

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fang ² British  

/ fæŋ /

verb

1. to drive at great speed

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noun

1. an act or instance of driving in such a way

   we took the car for a fang

Fang ³ British  

/ fæŋ, fɑːŋ /

noun

1. a member of a Negroid people of W Africa, living chiefly in the rain forests of Gabon and Rio Muni: noted for their use of iron and copper money and for their sculpture

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

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fang Scientific  

/ făng /

1. A long, pointed tooth in vertebrate animals or a similar structure in spiders, used to seize prey and sometimes to inject venom. The fangs of a poisonous snake, for example, have a hollow groove through which venom flows.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fanged
  adjective
• fangless
  adjective
• fanglike
  adjective
• unfanged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Fang
  plural
• Fangs
  plural
• fangs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fang¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English “prey, purchase, spoils,” Old English: “booty”; cognate with German Fang “capture, booty,” Old Norse fang “a grasp, hold”; see also fang ²

Origin of fang²

First recorded before 900; Middle English fangen, fengen, earlier and Old English fon “to seize, catch”; cognate with Old Saxon fangan and fahan, German fangen and fahen, Old Icelandic fangan and fá

Explanation

A fang is a long, sharp tooth that is used to do harm. Vampires have them, venomous snakes have them... you could have them, too, if your Halloween costume includes a set of pointy teeth. The word fang came into English from the Old Norse word fang, meaning “capture, grasp.” It was originally used to describe something that was seized or captured, like loot taken after a battle. Later it meant "something that traps or snares." When you think of a sharp tooth’s ability to snare something, it’s not such a leap to the word’s current meaning: the long, pointy teeth of a predatory animal or a snake — or a vampire.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fang Fang Fangs fangs

One of its writers, James Jeremias, was loosely inspired by “Interview,” which may be why Kiefer Sutherland’s rebellious vampire, David, feels spiritually closer to Lestat than the sparkly fang boys of “The Twilight Saga.”

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

"It caught the back of my arm with one fang and the other fang got caught in my polo shirt," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2023

Those are definitely not the hybrids, despite “the fur and fang and fury” that Moreno-Garcia unleashes as justice claws its way through the book’s final pages.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2022

They also took screenshots of products offered for sale on Facebook, from elephant ivory bracelets and rings trimmed in 14-karat gold to intricate happy buddha ivory carvings, whole rhino horns, and tiger fang pendants.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 18, 2020

Jealousy had got hold of him: she stung him; but the sting was salutary: it gave him respite from the gnawing fang of melancholy.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

In the past couple of years, Fang had sought to leave China for a senior position at the World Bank in Washington, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The nature of the allegations against Fang couldn’t be determined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The move against Fang was preceded by warning signs, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The suspect was identified as Ziheng “Tony” Fang, 30, of San José, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in data science.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

When I asked, Fang mumbled something about her already being back at Eddie’s.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Though Quickies is mainly fiction – one song is called I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail – Merritt’s life has still informed it.

From The Guardian ● May 26, 2020

“This is why I’m here. Fangs help them tap into their primal vampire nature. Fangs are magic.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2018

Fangs and fur fly in this visually dazzling but intense update.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 15, 2016

Fangs — forcipules, yes, not fangs — must deliver a weak toxin.

From Nature ● Apr. 5, 2016

Fangs or no fangs, he crunched it up to the last bite and then lay licking his pads and between his toes.

From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks

When she rebuffs him by calling him an animal, he smiles widely, showcasing fangs one could rightly describe as gorgeous, and coos, “We are all animals, my lady.”

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

These structures represent an early form of chelicerae and provide evidence of the evolutionary beginnings of the pincers and fangs seen in chelicerates today.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

Here are 17 fun facts to sink your vampire fangs into ahead of the Academy Awards this Sunday.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

But it’s also a vampire movie, full of fangs, gore and garlic, and it’s there where Mr. Coogler falters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

Her jaw unhinged, and her yellow teeth elongated into fangs.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• fingernail
• paw
• tentacle