bunny
Americannoun
-
Informal. a rabbit, especially a small or young one.
-
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.
-
Chiefly British. a squirrel.
-
Australian and New Zealand Slang. a person imposed upon or made a fool of; victim.
adjective
noun
-
Also called: bunny rabbit. a child's word for rabbit
-
Also called: bunny girl. a night-club hostess whose costume includes rabbit-like tail and ears
-
informal a mug; dupe
-
slang a devotee of a specified pastime or activity
gym bunny
disco bunny
-
slang talk, esp when inconsequential; chatter
-
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.
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.
Cumming and Bad Bunny - whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio - join a star-studded cast including the returning Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
At the end of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bugs left for Miami voluntarily.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
See how Bad Bunny, Cher and more interpreted the dress code ‘fashion is art’
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Old Bad Bunny and statue couture at the Met Gala.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
“Tomorrow, if it’s warm, we’ll air it out, Bunny gets asthma from all this dust....That’s my great-grandmother,” he said, pointing at a photograph which he saw had caught my attention.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
