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:
Before her diagnosis, McConnellogue described herself as a "non-stop Duracell bunny, on the go 24/7".
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
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
Are you looking at me like I’m a talking bunny rabbit?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
You’re looking at me like I’m a talking bunny rabbit, aren’t you?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
It’s a soft kind of look, the way one would watch a baby or a bunny, full of wonder and interest.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Awad says her sequel, in part, owes to bunnies like Ah Sing, Grondine and Feldstedt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
Wallace has noticed prices for her Easter favorites, such as Russell Stover’s milk chocolate Easter bunnies, have taken a bigger chunk out of her budget each year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Sheed had shifted slightly, trying to escape the frolicking dust bunnies in his hiding space, and saw Otto going toward the bad guy!
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
