Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Shark Week

Shark Week

3 2.9
A week of TV programs about sharks, usually with new documentaries and specials
  • noun
  • /ʃɑrk wik/
translation icon : Semana del tiburón
  • Every summer, fans eagerly anticipate Shark Week for its thrilling shows about sharks.
  • Shark Week on Discovery
  • Wild Shark Week

So walk me through how you got involved in this whole Shark Week thing.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I mean, I would have to assume that Shark Week helps enhance, you know, sort of public awareness around these issues in a positive way.

    Rich Roll

  • Come on, Trav, it's Shark Week, man.

    The Grave (1996)

  • Coming up next, Shark Week.

    Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS. Evil (2011)

  • We're going to miss Shark Week.

    Down to You (2000)

  • - Hey, Shark Week's on.

    The Social Network (2010)

  • Chat loves Shark Week on Discovery Channel.

  • Anyway, the only way I can relate to this is with Shark Week.

    Blog text (25)

  • Other than the good holidays like Shark Week, I don't know where that came from.

  • It's Shark Week.

    Step Brothers (2008)

  • Also, Shark Week.

    Blog text (32)

Surface Forms

Shark Week singular
Shark Weeks plural

Morphology

shark + week

The phrase literally combines 'shark' + 'week', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a week devoted to sharks; the core compositional meaning is therefore clear. However, the specific cultural sense of an annual TV programming event (with documentaries and specials) is not fully predictable from the words alone and requires world-knowledge, so the item is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Shark Week got its name from television: one channel began showing many shark documentaries in a single week to make a special event. That's why it now means 'a week of TV shows about sharks'.