What does "shark" mean?
Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
Shark
/ʃɑːk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
- Grammar: shark is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ace, adept, admirable crichton, alevin.
- Useful contrasts: amateur, ethical trader, herbivore.
- Usage evidence: However, I can't help noticing, at this moment, that at first glance it seems inevitable that the shark will devour the man.
How to use "shark"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shark" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shark" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shark" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shark" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ace" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head. countable
"The straunge fishe is in length xvij. foote and iij. foote broad, and in compas about the bodie vj. foote; and is round snowted, short headdid, hauing iij. rankes of teeth on either iawe, …. Also it hath v. gills of eache side of the head, shoing white. Ther is no proper name for it that I know, but that sertayne men of Captayne Haukinses doth call it a sharke."
- 2 Someone who exploits others, for example by trickery, lies, usury, extortion.
"“[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”"
- 3 any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales wordnet
- 4 Flesh of this animal, consumed as food. uncountable
- 5 A sleazy and amoral lawyer. derogatory, informal
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a person who is unusually skilled in certain ways wordnet
- 7 Any fish of the class Chondrichthyes, especially an extinct shark-like holocephalian. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Cladoselache, a well-preserved Devonian shark fossil from Ohio. Here the cartilages and some muscle tissues are preserved intact"
- 8 An ambulance chaser. derogatory, informal
- 9 a person who is ruthless and greedy and dishonest wordnet
- 10 A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.; Any fish in the genus Epalzeorhynchos. countable, uncountable
- 11 A relentless and resolute person or group, especially in business. informal
"In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position."
- 12 A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.; Any fish in the genus Balantiocheilos. countable, uncountable
- 13 A person that excels in a particular field.
- 14 A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.; An iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). countable, uncountable
- 15 A person that excels in a particular field.; A very good poker or pool player. Compare fish (a bad poker player). informal
- 16 A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.; A roseline shark (Dawkinsia denisonii). countable, uncountable
- 17 A person who feigns ineptitude to win money from others.
- 18 A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.; A paroon shark (Pangasius sanitwongsei). countable, uncountable
- 19 A noctuid moth of species Cucullia umbratica. countable
- 20 A university student who is not a fresher that has engaged in sexual activity with a fresher; usually habitually and with multiple people. UK, countable
Verb
- 1 To fish for sharks. intransitive, rare
- 2 To steal or obtain through fraud. obsolete
"Shakespeare and others, Sir Thomas More (c. 1593) act 2, sc. 4: "Other ruffians...Would shark on you.""
- 3 To pick or gather indiscriminately or covertly. obsolete
"Fortenbraſſe […] Hath […] Sharkt vp a ſight of lawleſſe Reſolutes […]"
- 4 hunt shark wordnet
- 5 Of a university student who is not a fresher (first-year undergraduate), and especially towards the start of the academic year:; To engage in sexual activity with a fresher. UK, derogatory, mildly, transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To play the petty thief; to practice fraud or trickery; to swindle. intransitive, obsolete
"Neither sharks for a cup or a reckoning."
- 7 play the shark; act with trickery wordnet
- 8 Of a university student who is not a fresher (first-year undergraduate), and especially towards the start of the academic year:; To cruise for casual sex with a fresher at a bar or club. UK, derogatory, intransitive, mildly
- 9 To live by shifts and stratagems. intransitive, obsolete
"Ah Captaine, lay not all the fault upon Officers you know you can ſhark though you be out of action, witneſſe Montague."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"However, I can't help noticing, at this moment, that at first glance it seems inevitable that the shark will devour the man."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shark"?
Common synonyms include: ace, adept, admirable crichton, alevin, animal, anthropophagite.
How do you use "shark" in a sentence?
However, I can't help noticing, at this moment, that at first glance it seems inevitable that the shark will devour the man.
How do you pronounce "shark"?
Pronounced /ʃɑːk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English shark (used by Thomas Beckington in 1442 to refer to a kind of fish), of uncertain origin. Most likely from a semantic extension of the German-derived shark (“scoundrel”), see below. The fish was originally called a dogfish or haye in English and Middle English. alternative theories Some older dictionaries derived the word from Latin c(h)archarias, c(h)acharus (from Ancient Greek), but admit that "the requisite [Old French] forms intermediate between E. shark and L. carcharus are not found, and it is not certain that the name [shark] was orig. applied to the fish; it may have been first used of a greedy man". Other older authorities speculated that the word might derive from Yucatec Maya xok (“fish”) (/ʃok/), as John Hawkins brought a specimen from the area where Mayan was spoken to England in the 1560s. However, the 1442 use rules out a New World origin for the word.
Etymology 2
From German Schurke (“scoundrel”); compare Dutch schurk.
Etymology 3
Probably from the "steal" senses above, but perhaps related to shear. Compare shirk.