bunny
Americannoun
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Informal. a rabbit, especially a small or young one.
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Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a pretty, appealing, or alluring young woman, often one ostensibly engaged in a sport or similar activity.
beach bunny; ski bunny.
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Chiefly British. a squirrel.
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Australian and New Zealand Slang. a person imposed upon or made a fool of; victim.
adjective
noun
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Also called: bunny rabbit. a child's word for rabbit
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Also called: bunny girl. a night-club hostess whose costume includes rabbit-like tail and ears
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informal a mug; dupe
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slang a devotee of a specified pastime or activity
gym bunny
disco bunny
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slang talk, esp when inconsequential; chatter
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slang deeply dissatisfied or discontented
Sensitive Note
The meaning “pretty woman” is sometimes used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. For instance, a beach bunny is an alluring female who frequents the beach only to meet male surfers. But bunny was originally (and still is) used as a term of endearment for a girl or young woman.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bunny
1600–10, dial. bun (tail of a) hare or rabbit, in Scots: buttocks (< Scots Gaelic bun bottom) + -y 2
Explanation
Bunny is another name for a rabbit, the soft long-eared mammal that's commonly kept as a pet and hops around on strong hind legs. Bunny is an informal word that comes from the Scottish bun, also a pet name for a rabbit. Some etymologists think it derives from an earlier meaning of bun in Scottish, "tail of a hare." You're most likely to refer to a rabbit as a bunny if you're a child, if you're talking about a pet (rather than a wild rabbit), or if you're referring to the Easter bunny.
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.
See Examples For:
“This next song is only a week old,” she said Saturday to introduce “Hate” — another loyalty test passed with no trouble by an audience peppered with bunny ears and Glinda wands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
"The element of surprise is like those children's toys with a shooting gallery, a little hammer, and a bunny that pops up in different windows... you have to be quick enough to catch it."
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
When the vessel later returned to the rig the other bunny was found hiding in a forklift.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
The miniature versions have fewer than 1,000 pieces, including a purple lightning bolt for the extreme ultraviolet light—and a Lego figurine dressed in a bunny suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
“Here I am wearing my lucky bunny barrettes, but I am still thinking that I might faint.”
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
It’s all just bravado and illusion in a show where the magician has no bunnies left to pull from his top hat.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Two bunnies were initially brought ashore before another was later found in hiding.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Easter baskets might be lighter on chocolate bunnies and eggs this year as consumers are balking at what they’re being asked to pay for the candy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
My floors are dirty, and my guests tell me I have dust bunnies.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026
I followed her, stepping over bits and pieces of honeycomb, which is what they had instead of dust bunnies.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
