tusk

[ tuhsk ]
See synonyms for: tusktusks on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. (in certain animals) a tooth developed to great length, usually one of a pair, as in the elephant, walrus, and wild boar, but singly in the narwhal.

  2. a long, pointed, or protruding tooth.

  1. a projection resembling the tusk of an animal.

  2. Also called gain. Carpentry. a diagonally cut shoulder at the end of a timber for strengthening a tenon.

verb (used with object)
  1. to dig up or tear off with the tusks.

  2. to gore with a tusk.

verb (used without object)
  1. to dig up or thrust at the ground with the tusks.

Origin of tusk

1
before 900; Middle English, metathetic variant of tux,Old English, variant of tusctush2; cognate with Old Frisian tusk; akin to tooth

Other words from tusk

  • tuskless, adjective
  • tusklike, adjective
  • un·tusked, adjective

Words Nearby tusk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tusk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tusk

tusk

/ (tʌsk) /


noun
  1. a pointed elongated usually paired tooth in the elephant, walrus, and certain other mammals that is often used for fighting

  2. the canine tooth of certain animals, esp horses

  1. a sharp pointed projection

  2. Also called: tusk tenon building trades a tenon shaped with an additional oblique shoulder to make a stronger joint

verb
  1. to stab, tear, or gore with the tusks

Origin of tusk

1
Old English tūsc; related to Old Frisian tosk; see tooth

Derived forms of tusk

  • tusked, adjective
  • tusklike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tusk

tusk

[ tŭsk ]


  1. A long, pointed tooth, usually one of a pair, projecting from the mouth of certain animals, such as elephants, walruses, and wild pigs. Tusks are used for procuring food and as weapons.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.