bunny
Americannoun
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bunnies
plural
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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:
Eventually, a parenting coordinator texted Emily Moreno: “l’ve suggested you keep the bunny at your house . . . in a high conflict divorce these situations blow up.”
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
A Gucci cashmere bunny cape hangs like an artwork in the bedroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"He voted for the Easter bunny over the tooth fairy," Vance said of his son.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Technicians wearing bunny suits put the machines together in clean rooms pumped with purified air to prevent contamination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
He was dressed in a plaid bathrobe and bunny slippers.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Kiki also has her very own Instagram account where her profile reads "I would rather be friends with bunnies than chase them".
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
Even a producer for the Dodo, an animal-centric media outlet, admitted to falling for the bouncing bunnies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 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
The bed has a floral spread, and there are unnerving paintings of bunnies on the walls.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
