man-eater

[man-ee-ter]

noun

an animal, especially a tiger or lion, that eats or is said to eat human flesh.

man-eating shark.

a cannibal.

Slang. femme fatale.

Origin of man-eater

First recorded in 1590–1600

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for man-eater

Historical Examples of man-eater

And thus the man-eater was shut in with the three sleeping men.
From Pole to Pole
Sven Anders Hedin
No more than our old war dog Deber-Trud the man-eater did I drop my prey.
The Brass Bell
Eugne Sue
She was not a man-eater, perhaps, but she was nearly romance-mad.
Prudence Says So
Ethel Hueston
"I'll bet that tiger isn't as great a man-eater as old Witham," he said.
The Rival Campers Ashore
Ruel Perley Smith
You might interest a man-eater by initiating him, but would you destroy his appetite?
At Good Old Siwash
George Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for man-eater

man-eater

noun

an animal, such as a tiger, that has become accustomed to eating human flesh

any of various sharks that feed on human flesh, esp the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

a human cannibal

informal a woman with many lovers

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for man-eater

also maneater, c.1600, "cannibal," from man (n.) + eater (see eat). From 1837 in reference to animals (sharks); 1862 of tigers; 1906 of women. Related: Man-eating.