Meaning & use
tiger
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A big wild cat with an orange coat and dark stripes that hunts alone in parts of Asia.
Grammar: Countable: one tiger, two tigers; the female is called a tigress.
Patterns
- a tiger in the wild
- a tiger hunts something
We saw a tiger resting in the shade at the wildlife park.
Tigers are strong swimmers and enjoy being in water.
Only a few thousand tigers now live in the wild.
nouncountablefigurativeinformal
A very fierce, determined or energetic person.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often with in: a tiger in the boardroom.
Patterns
- a tiger in something
- a tiger on the field
Ask her to negotiate; she is a tiger at the table.
Their goalkeeper was a tiger, saving everything.
My mother is a tiger when it comes to protecting her family.
nouncountablebusiness
A country whose economy grows very quickly, especially in Asia.
Grammar: Often appears in the compound Asian tiger or economic tiger.
Patterns
- an Asian tiger
Singapore was once called one of the Asian tigers.
The country hoped to become the next economic tiger.
Word forms
| plural | tigers |
|---|
Common combinations
- Bengal tiger
- The Bengal tiger is the most numerous type of tiger.
- tiger stripes
- The kitten had faint tiger stripes on its back.
- paper tiger
- The threat looked fierce but was a paper tiger.
- Asian tiger
- The Asian tiger economies grew rapidly in the late twentieth century.
- ride the tiger
- Running the start-up felt like trying to ride the tiger.
- tiger mom
- Her tiger mom insisted on piano practice every day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- big cat
- Big cat is a broader term that includes lions, leopards and others, while tiger names one species.
- fighter
- A fighter is any determined person and lacks the sense of striking ferocity that tiger gives.
- lion
- A lion is also a symbol of bravery, but it suggests nobility while tiger suggests fierce energy.
Opposites
Word family
- tigress noun
- a female tiger
- tigerish adjective
- fierce, like a tiger
- tiger-like adjective
- resembling a tiger in appearance or behavior
Commonly confused: tiger or leopard? tiger or cheetah?
tiger vs leopard
A leopard has spots, while a tiger has stripes.
tiger vs cheetah
A cheetah is a slender, spotted cat built for speed, much smaller than a tiger.
Practice
The negotiator was a real ______ in meetings, never giving ground on a single point.
Choose one answer.
Calling someone a tiger means they are fierce and determined. A kitten is gentle, which is the reverse of the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tiger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.