man-eater
Americannoun
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man-eaters
plural
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an animal, especially a tiger or lion, that eats or is said to eat human flesh.
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a cannibal.
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Slang. femme fatale.
noun
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an animal, such as a tiger, that has become accustomed to eating human flesh
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any of various sharks that feed on human flesh, esp the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias )
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a human cannibal
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informal a woman with many lovers
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of man-eater
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The guidelines also described conditions under which a tiger can be declared a "man-eater" and outlined steps for dealing with such problematic animals.
From Salon ● May 18, 2022
The Daryl Hall and John Oates lyrics say it best: "Oh-oh here she comes. Watch out, boy, she'll chew you up. ... She's a man-eater."
From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2016
The next day, as dynamite was dropped into the creek in hopes of raising Lester's body, Matawan's acting mayor offered a $100 reward for anyone who "kills the man-eater."
From US News ● Jul. 6, 2016
In Hawaii the term niuhi, meaning "man-eater", was used in native songs thought to refer to tiger sharks.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2015
Ajay jumped to his feet as if an enormous man-eater were about to pounce.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
The Atlantic risks getting addicted to these yarns because of their popularity among non-Californians, in the same sense that the first taste of human blood has been reputed to turn African lions into incorrigible man-eaters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
After Avni's death, the National Tiger Conservation Authority prepared a new report, which stated that problematic animals should be referred to as "dangerous to human life" and not "man-eaters."
From Salon ● May 18, 2022
Scientists had been searching for years for a method or chemical that repelled the man-eaters, but nothing they tried seemed to work.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2022
"These large, blunt-nosed predators have a duly earned reputation as man-eaters", says National Geographic.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2015
Had it been worth putting her life in danger to understand shark behavior or to try to prove to people that sharks aren’t man-eaters?
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
