Shark

/ʃɑːk/ · noun

Meaning

(ichthyology, countable) Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head..

Definitions by Sense

1. (ichthyology, countable) Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
2. (uncountable) Flesh of this animal, consumed as food.
3. (paleontology, loosely) Any fish of the class Chondrichthyes, especially an extinct shark-like holocephalian.
4. A freshwater fish that resembles a true shark (Selachimorpha) in appearance or movement; a freshwater shark.
5. (countable) A noctuid moth of species Cucullia umbratica.
6. (UK, university slang, countable) A university student who is not a fresher that has engaged in sexual activity with a fresher; usually habitually and with multiple people.
7. (intransitive, rare) To fish for sharks.
8. (UK, university slang, mildly derogatory) Of a university student who is not a fresher (first-year undergraduate), and especially towards the start of the academic year:

Example Sentences

The straunge fishe is in length xvij. foote and iij. foote broad, and in compas about the bodie vj. foote; and is round snowted, short headdid, hauing iij. rankes of teeth on either iawe, …. Also it hath v. gills of eache side of the head, shoing white. Ther is no proper name for it that I know, but that sertayne men of Captayne Haukinses doth call it a sharke.

He said he had spoken to a woman who was kayaking off Catalina Island, California, in 2008 when a shark slammed her kayak from underneath and sent her flying into the air. She then landed on the back of the shark, Collier said. "At that point the shark started to swim out to sea, so she jumped off its back," Collier said.

Shark has traditionally, although in some secrecy, been a staple food in European, American and Australian food.

Cladoselache, a well-preserved Devonian shark fossil from Ohio. Here the cartilages and some muscle tissues are preserved intact

“[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”

“Look after her, Mr. Hastings. My poor Emily. They’re a lot of sharks—all of them. Oh, I know what I’m talking about. There isn’t one of them that’s not hard up and trying to get money out of her. I’ve protected her as much as I could. Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”

In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position.

Shakespeare and others, Sir Thomas More (c. 1593) act 2, sc. 4: "Other ruffians...Would shark on you."

Synonyms for shark

Antonyms for shark

Related Words

Word Forms

• sharks
• sharke
• sharking
• sharked

Usage Notes

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