What does "tiger" mean?
Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia.
Tiger
/ˈtaɪɡə/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia.
- Grammar: tiger is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: panthera tigris, a man, achilles, animal.
- Useful contrasts: domestic cat, pushover, small cat.
- Usage evidence: The lion and the tiger are two different species of cat.
How to use "tiger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tiger" 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 "tiger" 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 "tiger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tiger" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tiger" is acting as name, noun, 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 "panthera tigris" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tiger", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
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 Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia.
"For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye."
- 2 A final shouted phrase, accompanied by a jump or outstretched arms, at the end of a cheer.
"He spoke with a very strong Scotch accent, and is by no means a graceful orator, but he produced througout a most favourable impression upon all his hearers, and especially upon the students, one of whom shouted as the speaker closed, 'Long Live PRESIDENT M'COSH!' and then proposed three cheers, which were given with a will, followed by the usual tiger and ' rocket.'"
- 3 Someone connected with Hull City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
- 4 large feline of forests in most of Asia having a tawny coat with black stripes; endangered wordnet
- 5 Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia.; A male tiger; as opposed to a tigress.
"Coordinate term: tigress"
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a fierce or audacious person wordnet
- 7 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; A sabre-toothed tiger (any felid in subfamily †Machairodontinae).
- 8 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; A Tasmanian tiger, †Thylacinus cynocephalus.
- 9 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; A jaguar. obsolete
"Similar is the test among the Moxos of Peru. One of their totems is the tiger; and a candidate for the rank of medicine-man must prove his kinship to the tiger by being bitten by that animal and surviving the bite."
- 10 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; Certain insects:; A tiger moth in the family Arctiidae.
- 11 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; Certain insects:; A tiger beetle.
- 12 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; Certain insects:; Any of the three Australian species of black-and-yellow striped dragonflies of the genus Ictinogomphus.
- 13 Certain other animals that resemble true tigers in appearance, pattern, colouration, etc.; Certain insects:; A tiger butterfly in tribe Danaini, especially subtribe Danaina.
- 14 A representation of a large mythological cat, used on a coat of arms.
"The heraldic tiger is a mythical beast, quite unlike a real tiger which is described in heraldry as a Bengal tiger. The ordinary tiger has no stripes, has a horn protruding from its nose, has tusks like a boar and a tufted mane, and has a lion's tail instead of a tiger's."
- 15 A leopard. South-Africa
"Jim remarked irrelevantly that tigers were 'schelms' and it was his conviction that there were a great many in the kloofs round about."
- 16 A relatively small country or group of countries with a fast-growing economy.
"In this scenario, the growth rates are higher for the economic tigers than for the other economies."
- 17 A servant in livery, who rides with his master or mistress. obsolete
"We arranged that I should come here alone in the London coach; and that he, leaving his tiger and cab behind him, should come on , and arrive here as soon as possible this afternoon"
- 18 A person who is very athletic during sexual intercourse. US, slang
"Don't […] Tell your roommate that you heard the walls shaking all night, and it sounds like he's a real tiger in the sack."
- 19 A ferocious, bloodthirsty and audacious person. figuratively
"As for that heinous tiger, Tamora, No funeral rite, nor man in mournful weeds, No mournful bell shall ring her burial; But throw her forth to beasts, and birds of prey."
- 20 A pneumatic box or pan used in refining sugar.
Proper Noun
- 1 The third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
- 2 Acronym of Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 A town in Georgia.
- 4 An unincorporated community in Washington.
- 5 A popular given name for a pet.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The lion and the tiger are two different species of cat."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tiger"?
Common synonyms include: panthera tigris, a man, achilles, animal, antelope, anthropophagite.
How do you use "tiger" in a sentence?
The lion and the tiger are two different species of cat.
How do you pronounce "tiger"?
Pronounced /ˈtaɪɡə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tygre, in part from Old English tigras (pl.), in part from Anglo-Norman tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Ancient Greek τίγρις (tígris), from Iranian (compare Avestan 𐬙𐬌𐬔𐬭𐬌 (tigri, “arrow”), 𐬙𐬌𐬖𐬭𐬀 (tiγra, “pointed”)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). Compare English stick.
Etymology 2
From the mascot of Princeton (a tiger), which led to early cheerleaders calling out "Tiger" at the end of a cheer for the Princeton team.