fang

fang · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A long, pointed tooth, especially the canine tooth of a carnivorous animal, used for seizing and tearing prey.

  2. 2.

    The hollow or grooved tooth of a venomous snake through which venom is injected.

  3. 3.

    (Informal) A person's tooth, especially when large or prominent.

Forms

plural: fangs

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    bare one's fangs — To show hostility or aggression
  • •
    sink one's fangs into — To attack or engage with something vigorously

Related words

See also: canine, tooth, venom
Synonyms: canine, tooth, tusk

Etymology

From Old English fang ("prey, capture, that which is caught"), from fōn ("to seize"). The sense shifted from "something seized" to the "tooth that seizes" by the 16th century.