hedgehog

American  

[hej-hog, -hawg] / ˈhɛdʒˌhɒg, -ˌhɔg /

noun

1. an Old World, insect-eating mammal of the genus Erinaceus, especially E. europaeus, having spiny hairs on the back and sides.

2. the porcupine.

3. Military.

   1. a portable obstacle made of crossed logs in the shape of an hourglass, usually laced with barbed wire.

   2. an obstructive device consisting of steel bars, angle irons, etc., usually embedded in concrete, designed to damage and impede the boats and tanks of a landing force on a beach.

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hedgehog British  

/ ˈhɛdʒˌhɒɡ /

noun

1. any small nocturnal Old World mammal of the genus Erinaceus, such as E. europaeus, and related genera, having a protective covering of spines on the back: family Erinaceidae, order Insectivora (insectivores)

2. any other insectivore of the family Erinaceidae, such as the moon rat

3. any of various other spiny animals, esp the porcupine

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Other Word Forms

• hedgehoggy adjective

Etymology

Origin of hedgehog

First recorded in 1400–50, hedgehog is from the late Middle English word heyghoge. See hedge, hog

Example Sentences

To investigate hedgehog hearing, researchers at the University of Oxford worked with collaborators in Denmark to measure the auditory brainstem response of 20 rehabilitated hedgehogs from Danish wildlife rescue centers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

Lying on his side on a dark summer night earlier this year, Sir David Attenborough is watching a hedgehog snuffling around an urban garden.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Isaiah Berlin, drawing on an ancient Greek proverb, famously observed that Leo Tolstoy was a foxlike writer who knew many things but longed to be someone who, like the hedgehog, knew one big thing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

“Is Elon secretly trying to convey how important Rizo the hedgehog is to him?” one part reads.

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025

At least, it was small for a person but very big indeed for a hedgehog, which was what it was.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis