tusk

American  

[tuhsk] / tʌsk /

noun

• tusks
  plural

1. (in certain animals) a tooth developed to great length, usually one of a pair, as in the elephant, walrus, and wild boar, but singly in the narwhal.

2. a long, pointed, or protruding tooth.

3. a projection resembling the tusk of an animal.

4. Also called gain.  Carpentry. a diagonally cut shoulder at the end of a timber for strengthening a tenon.

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verb (used with object)

1. to dig up or tear off with the tusks.

2. to gore with a tusk.

verb (used without object)

1. to dig up or thrust at the ground with the tusks.

tusk British  

/ tʌsk /

noun

1. a pointed elongated usually paired tooth in the elephant, walrus, and certain other mammals that is often used for fighting

2. the canine tooth of certain animals, esp horses

3. a sharp pointed projection

4. Also called: tusk tenon.  building trades a tenon shaped with an additional oblique shoulder to make a stronger joint

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verb

1. to stab, tear, or gore with the tusks

tusk Scientific  

/ tŭsk /

1. A long, pointed tooth, usually one of a pair, projecting from the mouth of certain animals, such as elephants, walruses, and wild pigs. Tusks are used for procuring food and as weapons.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tusked
  adjective
• tuskless
  adjective
• tusklike
  adjective
• untusked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tusks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tusk

before 900; Middle English, metathetic variant of tux, Old English, variant of tusc tush ²; cognate with Old Frisian tusk; akin to tooth

Explanation

A tusk is the long, pointed tooth seen on some animals, such as elephants, walruses, or hogs. Animals that have tusks can use them for protection against predators. Tusk rhymes with dusk. A tusk is a tooth that grows outward from an animal's mouth. How is a tusk different from a fang? Fangs are used to seize prey and bite and tear. Tusks, on the other hand, are used for defense and even as tools for digging or, in the cause of the walrus, for holding steady while on ice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tusk tusks

During one visit, riders might notice Siegel’s photograph of a mammoth tusk — a fossil uncovered by crews during construction of the station.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

House calls for hoof trims or tusk care can cost hundreds of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

Archaeologists say it was fashioned from a mammoth's tusk with an astonishing level of skill.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2025

They might paint an elephant tusk black, or try to make pangolin scales look like candy or chocolate.

From NewsForKids.net ● Nov. 28, 2024

They were carved from yellow walrus tusk and tied in a bunch with sinew.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Unlike in 1986, when many of the artifacts, especially the elephant tusks, decomposed after being exposed to the open air, Ran improvised a new system for the dig.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

The East African nation is more accustomed to high-profile wildlife crimes involving elephant tusks and rhino horns.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

With their thick coats, curved tusks, and towering size, they grazed the vast steppes that stretched across the northern hemisphere.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2025

Items stolen from the Oakland museum included Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops, historic photographs and intricately carved ivory tusks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

The dassie flopped wildly, snapping his sharp tusks.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• ivory