fur

[ fur ]
See synonyms for fur on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the fine, soft, thick, hairy coat of the skin of a mammal.

  2. the skin of certain animals, as the sable, ermine, or beaver, covered with such a coat, used for lining, trimming, or making garments.

  1. a garment made of fur.

  2. any coating resembling or suggesting fur, as certain matter on the tongue.

  3. Heraldry. any conventional representation of a fur, as ermine, vair, potent, or their variations.

adjective
  1. of or relating to fur, animal skins, dressed pelts, etc.: a fur coat;a fur trader.

verb (used with object),furred, fur·ring.
  1. to line, face, or trim, with fur, as a garment.

  2. Building Trades. to apply furring to (a wall, ceiling, etc.).

  1. to clothe (a person) with fur.

  2. to coat with foul or deposited matter.

Idioms about fur

  1. make the fur fly,

    • to cause a scene or disturbance, especially of a violent nature; make trouble: When the kids got mad they really made the fur fly.

    • to do things quickly: He sure makes the fur fly when it’s his turn to do the housecleaning.

Origin of fur

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English furre (noun), derivative of furren “to trim with fur,” from Anglo-French furrer, Old French fo(u)rrer, originally “to encase,” derivative of fuerre “sheath,” from Germanic; akin to Old English fōdder “case, sheath,” Old Norse fōthr, Greek pṓma

Other words from fur

  • furless, adjective

Words that may be confused with fur

Other definitions for fur. (2 of 2)

fur.

abbreviation
  1. furlong; furlongs.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fur in a sentence

  • Through it with due solemnity came James Henry holding in his mouth a furless and very dead cat.

    Men, Women and Guns | H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile

British Dictionary definitions for fur (1 of 2)

fur

/ (fɜː) /


noun
  1. the dense coat of fine silky hairs on such mammals as the cat, seal, and mink

    • the dressed skin of certain fur-bearing animals, with the hair left on

    • (as modifier): a fur coat

  1. a garment made of fur, such as a coat or stole

    • a pile fabric made in imitation of animal fur

    • a garment made from such a fabric

  2. heraldry any of various stylized representations of animal pelts or their tinctures, esp ermine or vair, used in coats of arms

  3. informal a whitish coating of cellular debris on the tongue, caused by excessive smoking, an upset stomach, etc

  4. British a whitish-grey deposit consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate precipitated from hard water onto the insides of pipes, boilers, and kettles

  5. make the fur fly to cause a scene or disturbance

verbfurs, furring or furred
  1. (tr) to line or trim a garment, etc, with fur

  2. (often foll by up) to cover or become covered with a furlike lining or deposit

  1. (tr) to clothe (a person) in a fur garment or garments

Origin of fur

1
C14: from Old French forrer to line a garment, from fuerre sheath, of Germanic origin; related to Old English fōdder case, Old Frisian fōder coat lining

Derived forms of fur

  • furless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for fur. (2 of 2)

fur.

abbreviation for
  1. furlong

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with fur

fur

see make the dust (fur) fly.

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