However, I can't help noticing, at this moment, that at first glance it seems inevitable that the shark will devour the man.
Source: tatoeba (53544)
Shark
/ʃɑːk/
Synonyms for "shark" (132 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (27)
Strong matches (39)
con manconfidence manconnaisseurconnoisseurconsultantcordon bleucrack shotcraftsmancrimpdead shotdestroyerdiplomatdiplomatistdolphinelder statesmanexperienced handexpertexpert consultantextortionistfingerling
Related words (66)
land pirateland sharkland-grabberleechloan sharkloch ness monsterman eaterman-eaterman-eating sharkmarine animalmarksmanminnowminnymortgage sharknektonnihilistno slouchpanfishpettifoggerpitchman
Show 40 more words
planktonpoliticianporpoisepredatorproprofessionalprofessorproficientprofiteerracketeerraptorreptiliasalmonsavagesavantsea monstersea pigsea serpentsea snakeshakedown artistsharpsharpersharpieshortchangershysterslickersmoltspielerspongestatesmantechnical advisertechniciantigertropical fishvampirevandalvulturewhalewild manwrecker
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ace, adept, admirable crichton, alevin, animal.
- Sentence evidence is available for shark, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss, moby, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "shark".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "shark"
Keep "shark" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "shark" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "shark", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "shark" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
13 entriesMore specific
6 entriesblue sharkcard sharkgreat white sharkhammerhead sharkloan sharkpool shark
Collocations
6 entriesblue sharkcard sharkgreat white sharkhammerhead sharkloan sharkpool shark
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
216 translations across 157 languages.
Abkhaz
1 entries- аӷлам noun (fish)
Adyghe
3 entries- акул noun (fish)
- хытыгъужъ noun (fish)
- хыхьэ noun (fish)
Afrikaans
1 entries- haai noun (fish)
Albanian
1 entries- peshkaqen noun (fish)
Amharic
1 entries- ሻርክ noun (fish)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- σέλαχος noun (fish)
Arabic
4 entries- سمكة القرش noun (fish)
- سَمَكَةُ الْقِرْش noun (fish)
- قرش noun (fish)
- قرش noun (fish)
Aragonese
1 entries- tiburón noun (fish)
Armenian
1 entries- շնաձուկ noun (fish)
Assamese
2 entries- হাংগৰ noun (fish)
- হাঙৰ noun (fish)
Asturian
2 entries- escualu noun (fish)
- tiburón noun (fish)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- akula noun (fish)
- köpək balığı noun (fish)
Bashkir
1 entries- акула noun (fish)
Basque
1 entries- marrazo noun (fish)
Belarusian
1 entries- аку́ла noun (fish)
Bengali
2 entries- হাঙর noun (fish)
- হাঙ্গর noun (fish)
Breton
2 entries- morvleiz noun (fish)
- rinkin noun (fish)
Bulgarian
1 entries- аку́ла noun (fish)
Burmese
1 entries- ငါးမန်း noun (fish)
Catalan
2 entries- esqual noun (fish)
- tauró noun (fish)
Cebuano
1 entries- iho noun (fish)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- کۆسە noun (fish)
Chechen
1 entries- гӏоркхма noun (fish)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᏗᎧᏳᎦ noun (fish)
Chinese
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Chuvash
1 entries- акула noun (fish)
Cornish
1 entries- morvleydh noun (fish)
Crimean Tatar
2 entries- akula noun (fish)
- köpek balığı noun (fish)
Czech
1 entries- žralok noun (fish)
Danish
1 entries- haj noun (fish)
Dhivehi
1 entries- މިޔަރު noun (fish)
Dutch
1 entries- haai noun (fish)
Eastern Min Chinese
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Esperanto
1 entries- ŝarko noun (fish)
Estonian
1 entries- hai noun (fish)
Faroese
1 entries- hávur noun (fish)
Fiji Hindi
1 entries- nangio noun (fish)
Fijian
1 entries- qio noun (fish)
Finnish
1 entries- hai noun (fish)
French
2 entries- requin noun (fish)
- squale noun (fish)
Galician
4 entries- cailón noun (fish)
- lamia noun (fish)
- marrago noun (fish)
- quenlla noun (fish)
Georgian
1 entries- ზვიგენი noun (fish)
German
3 entries- Hai noun (fish)
- Hai noun (fish)
- Haifisch noun (fish)
Greek
1 entries- καρχαρίας noun (fish)
Greenlandic
1 entries- eqalussuaq noun (fish)
Gujarati
1 entries- શાર્ક noun (fish)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- reken noun (fish)
Hakka Chinese
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Hawaiian
1 entries- manō noun (fish)
Hebrew
1 entries- כָּרִישׁ noun (fish)
Hindi
2 entries- शार्क noun (fish)
- हाँगर noun (fish)
Hungarian
1 entries- cápa noun (fish)
Icelandic
1 entries- hákarl noun (fish)
Ido
1 entries- sharko noun (fish)
Indonesian
1 entries- hiu noun (fish)
Iraqi Arabic
1 entries- كوسج noun (fish)
Irish
1 entries- siorc noun (fish)
Italian
2 entries- pescecane noun (fish)
- squalo noun (fish)
Japanese
2 entries- サメ noun (fish)
- 鮫 noun (fish)
Javanese
1 entries- ꦲꦶꦪꦸ noun (fish)
Jingpho
1 entries- ngăman noun (fish)
Kabuverdianu
2 entries- tibaron noun (fish)
- tubaron noun (fish)
Kalmyk
1 entries- аврһ заһсн noun (fish)
Kannada
1 entries- ಷಾರ್ಕ್ ಮೀನು noun (fish)
Kapampangan
2 entries- limpasut noun (fish)
- pating noun (fish)
Kazakh
1 entries- акула noun (fish)
Khmer
2 entries- ឆ្លាម noun (fish)
- ត្រីឆ្លាម noun (fish)
Kongo
1 entries- dukudaka noun (fish)
Korean
1 entries- 상어 noun (fish)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- акула noun (fish)
Lao
2 entries- ປາສະຫຼາມ noun (fish)
- ສະຫຼາມ noun (fish)
Latin
1 entries- squalus noun (fish)
Latvian
2 entries- haizivis noun (fish)
- haizivs noun (fish)
Ligurian
1 entries- squæo noun (fish)
Limburgish
1 entries- hej noun (fish)
Lithuanian
1 entries- ryklys noun (fish)
Low German
1 entries- hai noun (fish)
Luxembourgish
2 entries- Hai noun (fish)
- Haifësch noun (fish)
Macedonian
1 entries- ајкула noun (fish)
Maguindanao
1 entries- bagisan noun (fish)
Malagasy
1 entries- akio noun (fish)
Malay
3 entries- ikan yu noun (fish)
- jerung noun (fish)
- yu noun (fish)
Malayalam
1 entries- സ്രാവ് noun (fish)
Maltese
2 entries- kelb il-baħar noun (fish)
- xark noun (fish)
Manx
1 entries- sharkagh noun (fish)
Maranao
1 entries- begisan noun (fish)
Marathi
1 entries- मोरी noun (fish)
Mi'kmaq
1 entries- siglati noun (fish)
Middle Korean
1 entries- 두루치 noun (fish)
Mongolian
4 entries- аварга загас noun (fish)
- дулан загас noun (fish)
- ᠠᠪᠤᠷᠭᠤ ᠵᠢᠭᠠᠰᠤ noun (fish)
- ᠳᠤᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᠢᠭᠠᠰᠤ noun (fish)
Murik (New Guinea)
1 entries- kaŋgoŋasen noun (fish)
Māori
1 entries- mangō noun (fish)
Nauruan
1 entries- ebawo noun (fish)
Navajo
1 entries- łóóʼ hashkéhé noun (fish)
Ngazidja Comorian
2 entries- mbamba noun (fish)
- panganyile noun (fish)
Nheengatu
1 entries- iperú noun (fish)
Niuean
1 entries- magō noun (fish)
Nivkh
1 entries- ваӻс noun (fish)
Norman
3 entries- cheurque noun (fish)
- chörk noun (fish)
- hau noun (fish)
North Frisian
1 entries- heifask noun (fish)
Northern Sami
1 entries- háia noun (fish)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- hai noun (fish)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- hai noun (fish)
Occitan
1 entries- làmia noun (fish)
Old Tupi
1 entries- yperu noun (fish)
Pashto
1 entries- منو noun (fish)
Persian
1 entries- کوسه noun (fish)
Polish
1 entries- rekin noun (fish)
Portuguese
4 entries- cação noun (fish)
- escalho noun (fish)
- escalo noun (fish)
- tubarão noun (fish)
Quechua
1 entries- tiwrun noun (fish)
Romanian
1 entries- rechin noun (fish)
Romansch
1 entries- squagl noun (fish)
Russian
1 entries- аку́ла noun (fish)
Samoan
2 entries- magō noun (fish)
- malie noun (fish)
Samogitian
1 entries- rīklīs noun (fish)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- cearban noun (fish)
- siorc noun (fish)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- ajkula noun (fish)
- morski pas noun (fish)
- mòrskī pȁs noun (fish)
- ајкула noun (fish)
Shan
1 entries- ပႃငမၢၼ်း noun (fish)
Sinhalese
1 entries- මෝරා noun (fish)
Skolt Sami
1 entries- akkli noun (fish)
Slovak
1 entries- žralok noun (fish)
Slovene
1 entries- morski pes noun (fish)
Spanish
2 entries- escualo noun (fish)
- tiburón noun (fish)
Sundanese
1 entries- hiu noun (fish)
Swahili
1 entries- papa noun (fish)
Swedish
1 entries- haj noun (fish)
Tagalog
1 entries- pating noun (fish)
Tajik
2 entries- кӯсамоҳӣ noun (fish)
- наҳанг noun (fish)
Tamil
1 entries- சுறா noun (fish)
Tatar
1 entries- акула noun (fish)
Tausug
1 entries- kaytan noun (fish)
Telugu
1 entries- సొర చేప noun (fish)
Tetum
1 entries- uu noun (fish)
Thai
2 entries- ฉลาม noun (fish)
- ปลาฉลาม noun (fish)
Tibetan
1 entries- གཏུམ་ཉ noun (fish)
Tlingit
1 entries- chich.uwaa noun (fish)
Tok Pisin
1 entries- sak noun (fish)
Tongan
1 entries- ʻanga noun (fish)
Tunisian Arabic
1 entries- ركان noun (fish)
Turkish
1 entries- köpek balığı noun (fish)
Turkmen
1 entries- akula noun (fish)
Ukrainian
1 entries- аку́ла noun (fish)
Urdu
2 entries- شارک noun (fish)
- شارک مچھلی noun (fish)
Uyghur
2 entries- ئاكۇلا noun (fish)
- لەھەڭ noun (fish)
Uzbek
1 entries- akula noun (fish)
Veps
1 entries- akul noun (fish)
Vietnamese
2 entries- cá mập noun (fish)
- cá nhám noun (fish)
Volapük
1 entries- jak noun (fish)
Waray-Waray
1 entries- pating noun (fish)
Welsh
2 entries- morgi noun (fish)
- siarc noun (fish)
Woleaian
1 entries- pagow noun (fish)
Wu Chinese
1 entries- 鯊魚 /鲨鱼 noun (fish)
Yiddish
2 entries- הײַפֿיש noun (fish)
- שאַרק noun (fish)
Yucatec Maya
1 entries- xoc noun (fish)
Zulu
1 entries- ushaka class 1a/2a noun (fish)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
The skin of a shark is much rougher than that of a tuna fish.
Source: tatoeba (54018)
A shark snapped the man's leg off.
Source: tatoeba (54019)
Christopher Columbus's "The Idiot's Guide to Killing a Shark Barehanded" and "The Twenty Ways to Strangle a Giant Squid" both went on to become bestsellers.
Source: tatoeba (564007)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "shark"?
Closest matches include ace, adept, admirable crichton, alevin, animal.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "shark"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.