1
: an elongated greatly enlarged tooth (as of an elephant or walrus) that projects when the mouth is closed and serves especially for digging food or as a weapon
broadly
: a long protruding tooth
2
: one of the small projections on a tusk tenon
tusked; tusking; tusks
: to dig up with a tusk
also
: to gash with a tusk
Examples of tusk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2024
Payton said of the president’s dentures, which were made from, among other things, hippo tusks.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for tusk 
Noun
For decades, archaeologists have wondered whether a suit of Bronze Age armor found in Greece—boar's tusk helmet, bronze plates and all—would really have protected its wearer in combat.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2024
Payton said of the president’s dentures, which were made from, among other things, hippo tusks.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for tusk
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tusk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tusk
Cite this Entry
“Tusk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tusk. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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Medical Definition
tusk
noun
: an elongated greatly enlarged tooth that projects when the mouth is closed and serves for digging food or as a weapon
broadly
: a long protruding tooth
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