Rabbit Definition & Meaning

American

British

More Idioms

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms rabbit American [rab-it] / ˈræb ɪt /

noun

plural

rabbits,

plural

rabbit

1. any of several soft-furred, large-eared, rodentlike burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae, allied with the hares and pikas in the order Lagomorpha, having a divided upper lip and long hind legs, usually smaller than the hares and mainly distinguished from them by bearing blind and furless young in nests rather than fully developed young in the open.

2. any of various small hares.

3. the fur of a rabbit or hare, often processed to imitate another fur.

4. Welsh rabbit.

5. a runner in a distance race whose goal is chiefly to set a fast pace, either to exhaust a particular rival so that a teammate can win or to help another entrant break a record; pacesetter.

6. British Informal. a person who is poor at sports, especially golf, tennis, or cricket.

idioms

1. pull a rabbit out of the hat, to find or obtain a sudden solution to a problem.

   Unless somebody pulls a rabbit out of the hat by next week, we'll be bankrupt.

rabbit British / ˈræbɪt /

noun

1. any of various common gregarious burrowing leporid mammals, esp Oryctolagus cuniculus of Europe and North Africa and the cottontail of America. They are closely related and similar to hares but are smaller and have shorter ears

2. the fur of such an animal

3. informal a novice or poor performer at a game or sport

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (intr) to hunt or shoot rabbits

2. informal (intr; often foll by on or away) to talk inconsequentially; chatter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 rabbit More Idioms

1. see pull (a rabbit) out of a hat.

Usage

Where does rabbit come from? There's just something about the names of some of the most familiar animals. Like dog, the origin of the word rabbit is obscure. But, at least we are few hops closer to a source with rabbit than we are with dog.Found in Middle English, rabbit originally meant "young rabbit, bunny," and was most likely borrowed from a French word. Scholars point us to the Walloon robett and the dialectical Dutch robbe. But from there, it’s an etymological rabbit hole.Walloon is a French dialect chiefly spoken in southern and southeastern Belgium and neighboring regions in France.Unsure about the difference between a rabbit and a hare? We've got you covered!

Other Word Forms

• rabbitlike adjective
• rabbity adjective

Etymology

Origin of rabbit

1375–1425; late Middle English rabet ( te ) young rabbit, bunny, probably < Old North French; compare Walloon robett, dialectal Dutch robbe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This will be followed by pigs, as well as chickens and goats, as well as smaller breeds such as rabbits, for those not used to handling animals.

From BBC

Following a $1-billion-grossing, Oscar-winning smash could have left writer and director Jared Bush and director Byron Howard feeling like rabbits in the headlights, but they seem to have outfoxed the challenge.

From Los Angeles Times

Chasing balanced agricultural trade is like chasing a white rabbit, one that will ultimately prove elusive.

From Barron's

But recreational hunting contributes a "valuable social good" to Australia, argues Mr Kenyon, saying that hunters remove millions of feral animals such as rabbits, foxes and cats.

From BBC

Martin suggested that he had "fallen down a rabbit hole" during the pandemic and denied he had ever intended to commit any violent acts himself.

From BBC

Related Words

• bunny
• coney
• cony
• hare
• lagomorph
• lapin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.