Meaning & use
fang
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Meanings
nouncountable
A long, sharp, pointed tooth used by an animal to bite, grip, or inject venom.
Grammar: Countable; usually plural when referring to a set of teeth (e.g., a snake's fangs).
Patterns
- sharp fangs
- venomous fangs
- bare one's fangs
The wolf bared its fangs and growled.
The snake's fangs inject a deadly venom.
nouncountable
A long, pointed tooth of a dog or other animal.
Grammar: Often used in the plural to refer to the pair of long teeth.
Patterns
- a dog's fangs
- show one's fangs
The dog's fangs were visible when it yawned.
She cleaned the dog's fangs with a toothbrush.
Word forms
| plural | fangs |
|---|
Common combinations
- sharp fangs
- The tiger has sharp fangs for tearing meat.
- venomous fangs
- The cobra's venomous fangs can kill a person.
- bare one's fangs
- The dog bared its fangs when approached.
- sink one's fangs into something
- The vampire sank its fangs into the victim's neck.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tooth
- General word for any tooth; 'fang' is a specific long, pointed tooth.
- tusk
- A very long, protruding tooth, as of an elephant or wild boar; 'fang' is usually smaller and used for biting.
Word family
- fanged adjective
- Having fangs.
Commonly confused: fang or tooth?
fang vs tooth
'Tooth' is the general term; 'fang' is a specific type of long, sharp tooth.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fang' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Fangs' are long, sharp teeth for biting or injecting venom, so the snake sentence fits. Rabbits and humans have teeth, not fangs; elephants have tusks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fang”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.