Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large, aggressive shark that is widespread in warm seas and is known to attack humans. This refers specifically to certain species of sharks, most notably the great white shark, that have been documented in attacks on people.
   • A person who eats human flesh. This is a term for a cannibal, a human being who consumes the flesh of other humans.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Shark):
  • The great white shark is often called a man-eater.
  • After the attack, locals feared a man-eater was prowling the coastal waters.
• Noun (Person):
  • The legends spoke of a tribe of man-eaters deep in the jungle.
  • In the story, the captured explorers were terrified of being taken to the man-eater's village.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used sensationalistically in media and literature to evoke fear or horror.
• In a figurative or hyperbolic sense, "man-eater" can sometimes be used to describe a person, especially a woman, perceived as ruthlessly seductive or destructive to men, though this usage is informal and often considered offensive or sexist.
  • The tabloids portrayed her as a heartless man-eater who broke up marriages.

Variants and Related Words

• Maneating (adj): Used to describe an animal or person that eats humans.
  • a maneating tiger
  • maneating tribes
• Cannibal (n): The more standard and clinical term for a person who eats human flesh.
• Anthropophagite (n): A formal, less common term for a cannibal.

Synonyms

• For the shark: predatory shark, great white (specific species).
• For the person: cannibal, anthropophagite.

Related Phrases

• While "man-eater" itself is not typically part of phrasal verbs, it is central to descriptive phrases.
  • "A confirmed man-eater": An animal (like a tiger) that has developed a habitual preference for human prey.

    • The tiger was declared a confirmed man-eater after its third human kill.

Related Idioms

• No common idioms are directly formed from "man-eater." Its meaning is typically literal. The informal figurative use ("a man-eater" for a seductive person) functions as a metaphorical idiom in some contexts.

Noun

1. large aggressive shark widespread in warm seas; known to attack humans
2. a person who eats human flesh