What does "tusk" mean?
One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.
Tusk
/ˈtʌsk/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.
- Grammar: tusk is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: baby tooth, bicuspid, bucktooth, canine.
- Useful contrasts: non tusk.
- Usage evidence: By seeing an elephant's tusk you know it is larger than a bull; by seeing a tiger's tail you know it is larger than a fox; by seeing one thing, you know many of them.
How to use "tusk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tusk" 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 "tusk" 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 "tusk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tusk" 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 "tusk" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "baby tooth" 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 "tusk", 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 One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.
"Until the CITES sales ban, elephant tusks were the 'backbone' of the legal ivory trade."
- 2 A fish, the torsk (Brosme brosme).
- 3 a long pointed tooth specialized for fighting or digging; especially in an elephant or walrus or hog wordnet
- 4 A small projection on a (tusk) tenon.
- 5 a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A tusk shell.
- 7 A projecting member like a tenon, and serving the same or a similar purpose, but composed of several steps, or offsets, called teeth.
- 8 A sharp point.
- 9 The share of a plough.
Verb
- 1 To dig up using a tusk, as boars do.
- 2 remove the tusks of animals wordnet
- 3 To gore with the tusks.
- 4 stab or pierce with a horn or tusk wordnet
- 5 To bare or gnash the teeth. obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A male surname from Kashubian
Antonyms
non tusk
Example
"By seeing an elephant's tusk you know it is larger than a bull; by seeing a tiger's tail you know it is larger than a fox; by seeing one thing, you know many of them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tusk"?
Common synonyms include: baby tooth, bicuspid, bucktooth, canine, crown, cuspid.
How do you use "tusk" in a sentence?
By seeing an elephant's tusk you know it is larger than a bull; by seeing a tiger's tail you know it is larger than a fox; by seeing one thing, you know many of them.
How do you pronounce "tusk"?
Pronounced /ˈtʌsk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūx, tūsc (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tusk (“tooth”), West Frisian tosk (“tooth”), Icelandic toskur (“a tusk, tooth”) (whence the Old Norse and Icelandic Ratatoskr and Ratatoskur respectively), Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌿𐍃 (tunþus, “tooth”) and *𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (*tundi, “thorn, tooth”). Doublet of tush. More at tooth.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Polish Tusk, from Kashubian Tuzk, a variant of Tuzek.