piranha
Americannoun
plural
piranhas,plural
piranhanoun
Etymology
Origin of piranha
1865–70; < Portuguese < Tupi
Explanation
A piranha is a fish with famously sharp teeth. Don't go swimming in certain South American rivers if you want to avoid piranhas! These freshwater fish are terrifyingly described as "voraciously carnivorous," meaning they eat meat with great enthusiasm. Humans aren't often bitten by piranhas, but it does happen in some parts of South America. You also can't buy a piranha as a pet in many parts of the world — and if you do, it's best not to get two of them, since the weaker fish is often killed by the stronger one.
Vocabulary lists containing piranha
English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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Amazing Animals, List 1
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South America - Middle School
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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.
According to The Official Monster Raving Loony Party website other policies include Wellingborough Golf Club being developed into an intergalactic space port and fishing made a spectator sport by introducing piranha into the River Nene.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2024
Directed by Pierre Perifel, “The Bad Guys” centers on a band of former criminals — a wolf, a piranha, a snake, a tarantula and a shark — on a mission to improve their villainous reputations.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2022
White once said her character Sue Ann Nivens in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” could be “icky-sweet” but was “really a piranha type.”
From Washington Times • Dec. 31, 2021
It becomes a big floaty bullfight, or — with enough players — a piranha feeding frenzy.
From The Verge • Oct. 14, 2021
Karpoi grain spirits—those horrible little piranha Cupids—were rushing through the tall grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
