Tusked means having tusks: long, pointed teeth that stick out of an animal's mouth even when it's closed. Elephants are tusked animals, with their magnificent ivory tusks curving out from their upper jaws. Walruses are tusked too, using their long tusks to haul themselves onto ice floes and to defend themselves. Wild boars have shorter tusks that curve upward from their lower jaws.

Tusks are different from regular teeth because they keep growing throughout an animal's life and protrude visibly from the mouth. Animals use tusks for digging, fighting, breaking through ice, stripping bark from trees, or displaying dominance. Male narwhals have a single spiral tusk that can grow ten feet long, making them look like unicorns of the sea.

When you read about a tusked beast in an adventure story, the author is probably describing something large and potentially dangerous, like a mammoth or a warthog. The word tusked immediately creates a vivid image: you know this creature has those prominent teeth that make it look fierce and powerful.