Meanings
nounnurse shark (plural nurse sharks)
plural nurse sharks
- Any of various bottom-dwelling sharks of the family Ginglymostomatidae that have two fleshy barbels hanging from the lower jaw.
- broadlyAny small shark; a dogfish.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsmall bottom-dwelling shark of warm shallow waters on both coasts of North America and South America and from southeast Asia to Australia
Similar
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
French requin nourrice
- requin nourriceany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
German Ammenhai
- Ammenhaiany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Italian squalo nutrice
- squalo nutriceany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Polish rekin wąsaty
- rekin wąsatyany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Portuguese tubarão-lixa, lambaru
- tubarão-lixaany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
- lambaruany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Russian аку́ла-ня́нька
- аку́ла-ня́нька (akúla-njánʹka)any shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Spanish tiburón nodriza
- tiburón nodrizaany shark of the family Ginglymostomatidae
Cite this entry
APA
nurse shark. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurse%20shark
MLA
“nurse shark.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurse%20shark. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nurse shark,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurse%20shark.
Source: nurse shark on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.