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Synonyms

tusk

American  
[tuhsk] / tʌsk /

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.

  3. a projection resembling the tusk of an animal.

  4. 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.

tusk British  
/ 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

  3. a sharp pointed projection

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

"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

verb

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

"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
tusk Scientific  
/ 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.

Other Word Forms

  • tusked adjective
  • tuskless adjective
  • tusklike adjective
  • untusked adjective

Etymology

Origin of tusk

before 900; Middle English, metathetic variant of tux, Old English, variant of tusc tush 2; cognate with Old Frisian tusk; akin to tooth

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The boars huffed and stamped at the ground, swinging their freshly sharpened tusks.

From Literature

The East African nation is more accustomed to high-profile wildlife crimes involving elephant tusks and rhino horns.

From BBC

He wore a stiff hide mantle across his broad shoulders, and a boar’s tusk on a thong at his breast.

From Literature

They were carved from yellow walrus tusk and tied in a bunch with sinew.

From Literature

House calls for hoof trims or tusk care can cost hundreds of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.