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to shark

to shark

5 8.9
To cheat others to gain an advantage
  • verb
  • /ʃɑrk/
  • Informal
: estafar
  • He tends to shark people when he sees an opportunity to make money.

It'll be because I've listened, did a little homework, see the blood in the water, shark it up.

Examples

  • -He's sharking us.

  • Didier sharks it, handballs it to Dunn.

  • Yeah, he just sharked her.

  • You shark!

  • So, a friend of mine introduces me to this big-shot drug guy who does a little... a little loan-sharking on the side.

  • It's not right to shark your friends for personal gain.

  • Don't shark others just because you can; it's not fair.

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying

87 2.1

A person or thing you can depend on to be honest

Idioms

7 9.4

To start to get worse after a silly or big change, for example in a TV show

A person who is very calm and not easily upset, even in a dangerous situation

Compounds

30 4.8

A person who gives people money and charges very high illegal fees

22 3.9

A very large powerful shark with sharp teeth that sometimes attacks people

A very large sea fish with a white belly that sometimes attacks people

bull shark
  • Specialized
8 6.7

A large aggressive shark that lives in warm shallow water near coasts and in rivers

8 3.5

A very large fish with white spots that moves slowly and eats tiny sea animals and plants

7 3.9

A large dangerous shark with dark stripes that lives in warm seas

6 2.9

A week of TV programs about sharks, usually with new documentaries and specials

5 4.5

A slim, fast shark with a blue back and white belly that lives in the open ocean

card shark
  • Informal
4 8.2

A person who is very good at playing cards and cheats to win

shark bait
  • Offensive
3 8.9

A person who others use or treat badly in a competitive place

A large shark with a head shaped like a hammer that lives in warm seas

2 6.7

A shark with sharp jagged teeth that lives in shallow water near the coast

2 6.3

A slow shark that lives on warm shallow sea floors and has small whiskers near its mouth

2 5.6

A large yellowish-brown shark that lives in shallow water near the coast and often swims in groups

A large shark that sometimes attacks and eats people

1 6.7

A large, fast sea fish with a long sharp nose that often jumps when hunting

A large deep water fish with a white tip on its back fin that can be dangerous to people

real shark
  • Informal
1 7.8

A person who pushes hard to get the best business deals

1 8.2

A large slender blue-grey shark that lives in warm coastal waters worldwide

1 7.6

A step a company takes to stop another company from taking it over

A large shark from warm seas with a long tail used to stun small fish

Large harmless shark that swims near the sea surface with its mouth open to eat tiny plants and animals

A small shark with black tips on its fins that lives in shallow water

1 9.1

A fish that lives in muddy water with an unusual look

1 7.7

A shark with white tips on its fins that lives in deep warm seas and can be dangerous

sandbar shark
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A large gray fish with sharp teeth that lives near shallow sandy coasts

carpet shark
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A shark that lives on the ocean floor and hides by looking like sand or rocks

mackerel shark
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A large, fast shark with a pointed snout that swims and hunts in open ocean

1 8.1

A large shark with a broad head that has more than five gill slits

angel shark
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A shark with a broad flat body and winglike fins that hides on sandy sea floor

cat shark
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A small shark that lives on the sea floor and has eyes like a cat

shark oil
  • Archaic
1 7.5

A yellow or brown fat from shark livers used to treat leather and give vitamin A

bonnet shark
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A small harmless hammerhead shark that lives in shallow bays and river mouths

A large shark with white tips on its fins that lives in warm open oceans and can attack people

shark-liver oil
  • Specialized
1 7.5

An oil made from shark livers that people use as a health supplement and to soften leather

bonito shark
  • Australian
7.2

A blue-grey shark from the southwest Pacific that people catch for food and sport

fox shark
  • Specialized
8.7

A large shark in warm seas with a long whiplike tail used to herd and stun small fish

A large shark with a blue back and white belly that lives in the open sea and can be dangerous

reef whitetip shark
  • Specialized
7.1

A shark with white tips on its fins that lives near coral reefs

requiem shark
  • Specialized
9.1

A medium to large sea shark like the tiger or bull shark that can be dangerous to people

A large shark with six gill slits that lives in warm seas

slough shark
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who takes advantage of people who are new to a place

A small thin shark near European coasts that eats crabs, also called smooth dogfish

soupfin shark
  • Specialized
9.3

A shark from the Pacific Ocean often caught for its fins and liver

How Deceptive

to swindle
25 5.5
to shark
  • Informal
5 8.9
to cheat
502 1.2
to deceive
229 3.9
to mislead
152 3.9

Surface Forms

shark infinitive
sharked past
sharked past participle
sharking present participle
sharks third person singular

Etymology

To shark (verb) meaning to behave in a cunning or deceptive way comes from the noun shark — acting like a predator to 'take advantage' of someone. So to shark someone is to trick or use them for your gain.