any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales
"The great white shark, a formidable predator with tough skin and sharp teeth, glided silently through the deep ocean."
a person who is ruthless and greedy and dishonest
"The loan shark forced his way into the bar to collect what he claimed was owed to him."
A scaleless, predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
"The loan shark threatened to destroy their business if they didn't pay back the usurious interest immediately."
Someone who exploits others, for example by trickery, lies, usury, extortion.
In plain English: A shark is a large, dangerous fish that swims with sharp teeth and no bones inside its body.
"The great white shark swam near the shore, keeping an eye out for fish to catch."
Usage: Use "shark" as a noun to describe either the predatory fish or an unscrupulous person who aggressively seeks profit through deception. When referring to people, it often implies someone like a loan shark or real estate shark who exploits others for financial gain.
play the shark; act with trickery
"The salesman tried to play the shark by pretending the price was non-negotiable to scare me into buying immediately."
hunt shark
"The boat crew carefully baited their lines to hunt shark in the deep waters off the coast."
To fish for sharks.
"The spy was able to shark information out of the unsuspecting guard without raising suspicion."
To steal or obtain through fraud.
To pick or gather indiscriminately or covertly.
In plain English: To shark means to try hard to get something from someone by asking nicely but acting pushy about it.
"The loan shark called him every night to demand payment for the money he borrowed last year."
The word shark entered English around 1442 from Middle English with uncertain origins, though it likely evolved from a German-derived term meaning scoundrel before being applied to the fish. Originally known as dogfish or haye in earlier English texts, this marine animal has carried its current name since at least the fifteenth century.