Definition

1. Noun:

   • A large marine fish: A shark is a type of fish that lives in the sea, typically with a streamlined body, a cartilaginous skeleton, multiple gill slits, and often sharp teeth.
   • A person who is unusually skilled: Informally, a shark is a person who is exceptionally adept or expert in a particular area, often in competitive contexts like games or business.
   • A ruthless, greedy, or dishonest person: A shark can refer to a person who is unscrupulous, predatory, or exploitative in their dealings.

2. Verb:

   • To hunt for sharks: The act of fishing for or pursuing sharks.
   • To act like a shark; to trick or swindle: To behave in a ruthlessly opportunistic or deceitful manner.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The great white shark is an apex predator of the ocean.
  • He's a real pool shark; he wins every game he plays.
  • That loan shark charges exorbitant interest rates.

• Verb:

  • They went to shark in the deep waters off the coast.
  • He tried to shark his way into the deal with false promises.

Advanced Usage

• "Loan shark": A person who lends money at extremely high and often illegal rates of interest.

  • He got into serious trouble after borrowing from a loan shark.

• "Card shark" (or "card sharp"): A person who is highly skilled at playing cards, sometimes dishonestly.

  • Be careful playing poker with him; he's a known card shark.

Variants and Related Words

• Sharklike (adj): Resembling or characteristic of a shark, especially in being predatory.

  • He had a sharklike grin as he closed the deal.

• Sharking (n/gerund): The act of hunting sharks or acting like a shark.

  • Sharking is a dangerous profession.

Synonyms

• Noun (fish): Predator, selachian (technical term).
• Noun (skilled person): Expert, ace, virtuoso.
• Noun (dishonest person): Swindler, cheat, predator, hustler.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases

• "Shark for": To seek or hunt for something in an aggressive or predatory way.
  • He was always sharking for new investment opportunities.

Related Idioms

• "Jump the shark": A phrase originating from television, meaning the moment when something (like a TV series) begins to decline in quality or becomes absurd in an attempt to stay relevant.

  • Many fans believe the show jumped the shark in its fifth season.

• "A feeding frenzy": While not containing the word "shark," this idiom is strongly associated with shark behavior and describes a period of frantic competition or aggression.

  • The media went into a feeding frenzy over the scandal.

Noun

1. a person who is unusually skilled in certain ways
   • a card shark
2. a person who is ruthless and greedy and dishonest
3. any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales

Verb

1. hunt shark
2. play the shark; act with trickery