tiger

The word “tiger” means a large, powerful wild cat native to Asia, with an orange coat marked by black stripes. In plain terms, a striped big cat, or figuratively, a fierce or highly successful person or economy.

“Tiger” is pronounced TEYE-guh (/ˈtaɪɡɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “tiger” used in a sentence: “The tiger prowled silently through the tall grass.”

“Tiger” is a noun.

The word “tiger” comes from Latin. From Old English tigras and Old French tigre, both from Latin tigris, ultimately from Greek and an Iranian source related to a word for "arrow" — likely a reference to the animal's speed.

“Tiger” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Tiger” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large, powerful wild cat native to Asia, with an orange coat marked by black stripes.

A tiger is a large wild cat native to Asia with an orange coat marked by black stripes, and it typically lives and hunts alone. A lion has a plain tawny coat, males grow a mane, and lions live in social groups called prides, mainly in Africa.

In economics a 'tiger' is a country or economy that has grown rapidly and successfully, especially in Asia. The term draws on the animal's reputation for speed and strength, as seen in phrases like the 'Asian tigers' or 'tiger economies'.

Common pairings include 'Bengal tiger', 'Siberian tiger', 'tiger cub', and 'paper tiger', which means someone or something that appears threatening but is actually weak. In economics you also hear 'tiger economy'.