Definition of "shark" []

• Any of numerous chiefly marine carnivorous fishes of the class Chondrichthyes (subclass Elasmobranchii), which are sometimes large and voracious and have a streamlined torpedolike body, five to seven gill openings on each side of the head, a large oil-filled liver, a cartilaginous skeleton, and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales. (noun)
• A person regarded as ruthless, greedy, or dishonest. (noun)
• A vicious usurer. (noun)
• Slang A person unusually skilled in a particular activity: a card shark. (noun)
• Archaic To obtain by deceitful means. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "These are often removed while the shark is alive: the mutilated animal is then thrown overboard."
• "Named in 1884, this shark is a living representative of a primitive shark order, Hexanchiformes."
• "The old grandfather had died in the meantime, so that he was dependent on the food supplied by his stepfather and uncles, and they had to expostulate with him on what they called his shark-like voracity."