shark

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. someone who uses tricks or dishonest methods to get money from other people.

n. a person who exploits others through trickery, usury, or extortion, often in a professional context.

“Be careful with that salesman; he is a total shark and will overcharge you.”

“The neighborhood was wary of the loan sharks who preyed on families struggling to make ends meet during the recession.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a person who is very good at a specific activity, like a game or a sport.

n. an individual who demonstrates exceptional skill or dominance in a particular field or competitive activity.

“Don't play cards with him unless you want to lose; he is a real pool shark.”

“She became a corporate shark, quickly rising through the ranks by outmaneuvering her more experienced colleagues.”

C2 · Proficiency Archaic

v. to act in a dishonest way to get something from someone else.

v. to obtain something through fraud or to practice trickery and shifts.

“In the old story, the thief tried to shark his way into the palace.”

“The protagonist spent his youth sharking for a living among the docks, surviving on whatever he could steal or swindle.”