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.
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
It is easy enough to love dogs, cats and bunny rabbits, but what about roaches, wasps, snakes, vultures, rats and other largely unloved critters?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
A bunny called Herbie has been officially recognised as the oldest living rabbit in the world.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Louisiana turned and left in a flash of orange and sequins and bunny barrettes.
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
I grew up with cats, dogs, birds, rats and bunnies, and my husband and I have a mutt, Mercy, whom we love dearly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 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
My floors are dirty, and my guests tell me I have dust bunnies.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026
“Think how you’ll grieve for all you’ll leave behind,” she sings to a herd of otters, koalas, flamingos, giraffes, bunnies and kangaroos fleeing Oz for the safety of the Yellow Brick Underground Railroad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
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.
