piranha

Noun

piranha (plural piranhas or piranha)

1. Any of certain freshwater fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae, native to South America; they are characterized by razor-sharp teeth and a reputation of being ferocious predators (despite most species being omnivorous).
   • At a length of 36cm (14in), the red-bellied piranha was a giant of its kind – more than eight inches longer than an average specimen.2009 August 28, Alexandra Topping, “Giant piranha found in Devon river”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2025
   • In The Simpsons, Millhouse is more worried about piranhas than that his mother will stop loving him. Bart is reduced to a skeleton by piranhas from a hosepipe.2024 January 23, Helen Sullivan, “A piranha: it is boiling the water you’re swimming in and taking bites out of you”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2024
2. (derogatory, figuratively) Someone, especially a critic, who appears to be part of a swarm and attacks someone when they are vulnerable, as if in a feeding frenzy.
   • With the piranhas of Fleet Street working themselves into a feeding frenzy over Commander Brian Paddick, a vicious vocabulary you might have naively imagined abandoned in these more tolerant times has been dusted off and brought back into use.2002 March 25, Gareth McLean, “It's a male thing”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 13 Jun 2014