guinea pig
Americannoun
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a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet.
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Informal. the subject of any sort of experiment.
I've volunteered as a guinea pig in several clinical trials.
noun
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a domesticated cavy, probably descended from Cavia porcellus, commonly kept as a pet and used in scientific experiments
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a person or thing used for experimentation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of guinea pig
First recorded in 1655–65
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.
He said his shelter was currently housing four dogs, two cats and a Guinea pig.
From Seattle Times • May 1, 2022
Guinea pig meat, known as “cuy” in Ecuador, is typically eaten as a savory dish there and in other South American countries, like Peru and Colombia, where it's often grilled and served whole, per NPR.
From Fox News • Oct. 6, 2019
Amy Sherwood, 33, an echocardiographer at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, was acting as a Guinea pig with a colleague when she spotted the growth.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2013
There are several species of Guinea pig in South America, differing from one another in size, shape, and colour.
From Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found A Book of Zoology for Boys by Harvey, William
Like a coal mine, a pearl, a Guinea pig, a drunken man, and a chègre, she supposed an eel was peculiar to the climate, and could be found nowhere but out West.
From Dotty Dimple Out West by May, Sophie
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.
