tiger

[ tahy-ger ]
See synonyms for tiger on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ti·gers, (especially collectively for 1, 2, 6) ti·ger.

  1. a large, carnivorous, tawny-colored and black-striped feline, Panthera tigris, of Asia, ranging in several subspecies from India and the Malay Peninsula to Siberia: the entire species is endangered, with some subspecies thought to be extinct.

  2. the cougar, jaguar, thylacine, or other animal resembling the tiger.

  1. a person resembling a tiger in fierceness, courage, etc.

  2. a country that is considered to have a tiger economy: Taiwan is one of the four Asian tigers.

  3. an additional cheer (often the word tiger) at the end of a round of cheering.

  4. any of several strong, voracious fishes, as a sand shark.

  5. any of numerous animals with stripes similar to a tiger's.

adjective

  1. noting or relating to a strict parenting style that demands academic excellence and obedience from children, associated especially with East Asians:a tiger mom; tiger parenting.

Origin of tiger

1
before 1000; Middle English tigre,Old English tīgras (plural) <Latin tīgris, tigris<Greek tígris

Other words from tiger

  • ti·ger·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tiger in a sentence

  • It was certainly reported that they were very much infested with tigers, but this deterred no one.

  • Kari had no objection to wine drinking, but he did not like meat-eating men any more than he liked meat-eating tigers.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji

  • We afterwards learnt that scarcely a night passes in this neighbourhood without an ox, horse, or goat being carried off by tigers.

  • The temple rests on the backs of numerous elephants and tigers, which lie next to each other in peaceful attitudes.

  • And will all that have been killed and devoured by lions, tigers, hyenas, and crocodiles again revive?

    Robert Moffat | David J. Deane

British Dictionary definitions for tiger (1 of 2)

tiger

/ (ˈtaɪɡə) /

noun

  1. a large feline mammal, Panthera tigris, of forests in most of Asia, having a tawny yellow coat with black stripes

  2. (not in technical use) any of various other animals, such as the jaguar, leopard, and thylacine

  1. a dynamic, forceful, or cruel person

    • a country, esp in E Asia, that is achieving rapid economic growth

    • (as modifier): a tiger economy

  3. archaic a servant in livery, esp a page or groom

  4. short for tiger moth

  5. Southern African slang a ten-rand note

  6. have a tiger by the tail informal to find oneself in a situation that has turned out to be much more difficult to control than one had expected

Origin of tiger

1
C13: from Old French tigre, from Latin tigris, from Greek, of Iranian origin

Derived forms of tiger

  • tigerish or tigrish, adjective
  • tigerishly, adverb
  • tigerishness, noun
  • tiger-like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Tiger (2 of 2)

Tiger

/ (ˈtaɪɡə) /

noun

  1. See TIGR

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

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