Word forms: plural sharkslanguage note: The form shark can also be used as the plural form for meaning [sense 1].
1. variable noun
A shark is a very large fish. Some sharks have very sharp teeth and may attack people.
2. countable noun
If you refer to a person as a shark, you disapprove of them because they trick people out of their money by giving bad advice about buying, selling, or investments.
[informal, disapproval]
Beware the sharks when you are making up your mind how to invest.
3. See also loan shark
shark in British English1
(ʃɑːk)
noun
any of various usually ferocious selachian fishes, typically marine with a long body, two dorsal fins, rows of sharp teeth, and between five and seven gill slits on each side of the head
Derived forms
sharklike (ˈsharkˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C16: of uncertain origin
shark in British English2
(ʃɑːk)
noun
1.
a person who preys on or victimizes others, esp by swindling or extortion
verb
2. archaic
to obtain (something) by cheating or deception
Word origin
C18: probably from German Schurke rogue; perhaps also influenced by shark1
shark in American English1
(ʃɑrk)
noun
1.
a person who victimizes others, as by swindling or cheating
2. US, Slang
a person with great ability in a given activity; adept; expert
verb transitive, verb intransitive
3. Archaic
to get or live by fraud or stratagems
Word origin
prob. < Ger schurke, scoundrel, rogue, sharper < MHG schurgen, to push, mislead < IE *skēu- < base *sek-, to cut > saw1
shark in American English2
(ʃɑrk)
noun
any of various orders of cartilaginous fishes that are usually large and mostly marine, having a tough, spiny, usually slate-gray skin, separate lateral gill openings, and a slender, rounded body with the mouth on the underside: most sharks are fish-eaters, and some will attack humans
The whole episode confirms all your prejudices about payday loan sharks.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They may be sharks but they are very effective.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Only afterwards did they realise that a great white shark was waiting to attack them.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You could see sharks boldly swimming down paths that normally lead visitors to their beachside villas.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We are all absolutely taken aback by the shark attack.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It changes the way we think about these sharks.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The news that the sharks may be a single population has dramatic implications for their conservation.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The second factor is the booming industry in tourists diving to see sharks and other sea creatures.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The shark could have attacked us both.
The Sun (2015)
All you knew was what you saw live and stories you heard about sharks and groupies.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Sharks may disappear and then try to sneak up on you.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The pictures show four surfers furiously padding their boards back to the beach as a large shark closely trailed them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
HERE'S a genuine monster of the deep - a shark with two heads.
The Sun (2013)
Sale Sharks have gradually worked their way up the table into a position of strength and contention.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But it was a harmless basking shark, which eats only plankton.
The Sun (2012)
And what's the great white shark all about?
The Sun (2015)
Sale Sharks are now my priority along with getting stuck into the season.
The Sun (2015)
THE great white shark heading our way might be pregnant.
The Sun (2014)
The skin is either shark or ray skin, so the gloved arm of the mannequin shows beaded motifs of sharks and rays.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
You can also scan the seas for seals, dolphins, basking sharks and whales.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The centrepiece is a vast aquarium filled with 65,000 sharks, rays and tropical fish.
The Sun (2012)
In other languages
shark
British English: shark /ʃɑːk/ NOUN
Sharks are very large fish with sharp teeth.
American English: shark
Arabic: قِرْش سمك
Brazilian Portuguese: tubarão
Chinese: 鲨鱼
Croatian: morski pas
Czech: žralok
Danish: haj
Dutch: haai
European Spanish: tiburón
Finnish: hai
French: requin
German: Hai
Greek: καρχαρίας
Italian: squalo
Japanese: サメ
Korean: 상어
Norwegian: hai
Polish: rekin
European Portuguese: tubarão
Romanian: rechin
Russian: акула
Latin American Spanish: tiburón
Swedish: haj
Thai: ฉลาม
Turkish: köpek balığı
Ukrainian: акула
Vietnamese: cá mập
All related terms of 'shark'
cow shark
any large primitive shark , esp Hexanchus griseum, of the family Hexanchidae of warm and temperate waters
fox shark
a person who threshes
Shark Bay
a large inlet on the W coast of Western Australia, 800 km (500 miles) north of Perth ; the coastline is over 1500 km (930 miles) long and has two large shallow embayments and numerous islands; noted for its large sea-grass beds, stromatolites , and colonies of dugong ; a World Heritage site. Area: 2.2 million hectares . Pop: 900 (2014 est)
shark net
a net for catching sharks
angel shark
any of several sharks constituting the family Squatinidae, such as Squatina squatina, that have very large flattened pectoral fins and occur in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
blue shark
a shark of the species Prionace glauca , found in temperate and tropical waters
bull shark
a requiem shark , Carcharhinus leucas , inhabiting shallow waters from North Carolina to Brazil
card shark
an expert card player
dusky shark
a blue-gray shark , Carcharinus obscurus , of warm Atlantic and eastern Pacific seas, reaching a length of 12 ft. (3.7 m)
gummy shark
toothless; not showing one's teeth
lemon shark
a common shallow-water shark , Negaprion brevirostris , having a yellowish body and inhabiting inshore regions of the Atlantic from North Carolina to Brazil
loan shark
If you describe someone as a loan shark , you disapprove of them because they lend money to people and charge them very high rates of interest on the loan.
nurse shark
any of various sharks of the family Orectolobidae, such as Ginglymostoma cirratum of the Atlantic Ocean, having an external groove on each side of the head between the mouth and nostril
shark alarm
a bell sounded to warn swimmers of the presence of sharks
shark bell
a bell sounded to warn swimmers of the presence of sharks
shark siren
a siren sounded to warn swimmers of the presence of sharks
tiger shark
a voracious omnivorous requiem shark , Galeocerdo cuvieri, chiefly of tropical waters , having a striped or spotted body
whale shark
a large spotted whalelike shark , Rhincodon typus, of warm seas, that feeds on plankton and small animals: family Rhincodontidae
white shark
a huge , man-eating mackerel shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ) of tropical and warm seas
basking shark
a very large plankton-eating shark , Cetorhinus maximus , often floating at the sea surface: family Cetorhinidae
carpet shark
any of various sharks of the family Orectolobidae, having two dorsal fins and a patterned back, typically marked with white and brown
leopard shark
a small, inshore shark , Triakis semifasciata , having distinctive black markings across the back, inhabiting Pacific coastal waters from Oregon through California
requiem shark
any shark of the family Carcharhinidae , occurring mostly in tropical seas and characterized by a nictitating membrane and a heterocercal tail. The family includes the tiger shark and the soupfin
school shark
an Australian shark resembling the tope , Notogaleus australis
shark attack
To attack a person or place means to try to hurt or damage them using physical violence .
shark biscuit
a bodyboard
shark finning
the practice of catching sharks , removing their fins (which are commercially valuable ) and throwing the rest of the shark back into the sea (often while it is still alive , but doomed to drown because it cannot swim without its fins)
shark patrol
a watch for sharks kept by an aircraft flying over beaches used by swimmers
shark watcher
a business consultant who assists companies in identifying and preventing unwelcome takeover bids
whaler shark
a large voracious shark , Galeolamna macrurus , of E. Australian waters
blacktip shark
a widely distributed sand shark , Charcharinus limbatus , having fins that appear to have been dipped in ink , inhabiting shallow waters of warm seas
mackerel shark
any of a family (Lamnidae) of large, partly warm-blooded sharks , including the porbeagle, mako , and white sharks
shark-infested
(of a body of water) known to contain large numbers of sharks , and therefore considered to be dangerous
shark repellent
any tactic used by a corporation to prevent a takeover by a corporate raider
thresher shark
a person who threshes
whitetip shark
a smooth dogfish , Triaenodon obseus , having white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins and occurring inshore among the reefs in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Red Sea
shark repellents
provisions, such as poison pills or staggered directorships, made in the bylaws of a company to deter takeover bids
great white shark
a large shark , Carcharodon carcharias , that preys on marine mammals
grey nurse shark
a common greyish Australian shark , Odontaspis arenarius
six-gilled shark
any large primitive shark , esp Hexanchus griseum, of the family Hexanchidae of warm and temperate waters
oceanic whitetip shark
See whitetip shark (sense 2 )
soupfin
a Pacific requiem shark , Galeorhinus zyopterus, valued for its fins , which are used to make soup
smoothhound
any of several requiem sharks (esp. genus Mustelus ) common in the Atlantic and Pacific