rabbit

[ rab-it ]

noun

, plural rab·bits, (especially collectively) rab·bit

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.

rabbit

/ 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

verb

1. intr to hunt or shoot rabbits
2. informal.
   intr; often foll by on or away to talk inconsequentially; chatter

Other Words From

• rabbit·like rabbit·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabbit¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabbit¹

(senses 1-4) C14: perhaps from Walloon robett , diminutive of Flemish robbe rabbit, of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases

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.

More idioms and phrases containing rabbit

see pull (a rabbit) out of a hat .

Example Sentences

That’s a stark shift from Splash Mountain, with its villainous fox and bear-hunting Br’er Rabbit.

From Los Angeles Times

If they fall too far down the rabbit hole, such as by believing in Trump’s Big Lie that he won the 2020 election or the QAnon claims of Jewish world control, they often alienate themselves from loved ones who do not share those extreme views.

From Salon

You might cringe at the word hustle, but that doesn't mean you have to go down a rabbit hole of vapid brofluencers.

From Salon

He said researching autism had become "yet another rabbit hole I've disappeared down".

From BBC

Hollywood Hills A rabbit warren of steep, narrow, twisty streets and near-total lack of sidewalks make foot traffic in most of this hilly neighborhood not just challenging but downright dangerous.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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