tusk

IPA/tʌsk/
KK[tˈʌsk]IPA/tʌsk/

tusk — noun

  • tusksingular
  • tusksplural

1. a very long tooth that grows forward beyond the lips of animals like elephants,

1.nounB2
Definition

a very long tooth that grows forward beyond the lips of animals like elephants, walruses, and wild boars, often used in fighting or digging

Example

Ignacio photographed an elephant's tusk at the museum after the tour ended.

possessive pattern: an elephant's tusk

The walrus lifted itself onto the ice with one heavy tusk.

with + tusk for movement

Common collocations
  • elephant tusk
  • walrus tusk
  • long curved tusk
  • ivory tusk
Synonyms
  • tooth

    general word; a tusk is a specially enlarged tooth that grows outside the mouth

  • fang

    a long pointed tooth of animals such as snakes or dogs, not the usual word for elephants or walruses

Grammar Patterns

an elephant's tusk

grow / have tusks

Usage Note

A tusk is much larger than an ordinary tooth and is especially linked with elephants, walruses, and wild boars. In everyday use it can mean the tooth while it is still on the animal or the removed object, especially in museums or historical descriptions.

Common Mistakes

The elephant has two big horns near its mouth.
The elephant has two big tusks near its mouth.
tusks are teeth, not horns.
We saw many tusk on the beach.
We saw many tusks on the beach.
use the plural form 'tusks' for more than one.

tusk — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Tooth is the broad everyday word for any hard structure in the mouth. A tusk is a special kind of tooth that grows long and sticks out beyond the mouth, especially on elephants, walruses, and wild boars. A fang is also long and pointed, but it is linked more to biting animals such as snakes or dogs. A horn is different again: it grows from the head rather than the mouth. So an elephant has tusks, a snake has fangs, and a goat has horns.

tusk ↗tooth ↗fang ↗horn ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • elephant tusk
  • walrus tusk
  • wild boar tusk

Verbs

  • grow tusks
  • use tusks
  • tusk the ground

Phrases

  • long curved tusk
  • use a tusk to dig

Adjectives

  • long-tusked

Prepositions

  • with its tusks

Etymology

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb