the fine, soft, thick, hairy coat of the skin of a mammal.
the skin of certain animals, as the sable, ermine, or beaver, covered with such a coat, used for lining, trimming, or making garments.
a garment made of fur.
any coating resembling or suggesting fur, as certain matter on the tongue.
Heraldry. any conventional representation of a fur, as ermine, vair, potent, or their variations.
to line, face, or trim, with fur, as a garment.
Building Trades. to apply furring to (a wall, ceiling, etc.).
to clothe (a person) with fur.
to coat with foul or deposited matter.
the dense coat of fine silky hairs on such mammals as the cat, seal, and mink
the dressed skin of certain fur-bearing animals, with the hair left on
( as modifier )
a fur coat
a garment made of fur, such as a coat or stole
a pile fabric made in imitation of animal fur
a garment made from such a fabric
heraldry any of various stylized representations of animal pelts or their tinctures, esp ermine or vair, used in coats of arms
informal a whitish coating of cellular debris on the tongue, caused by excessive smoking, an upset stomach, etc
a whitish-grey deposit consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate precipitated from hard water onto the insides of pipes, boilers, and kettles
to cause a scene or disturbance
(tr) to line or trim a garment, etc, with fur
(often foll by up) to cover or become covered with a furlike lining or deposit
(tr) to clothe (a person) in a fur garment or garments
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English furre (noun), derivative of furren “to trim with fur,” from Anglo-French furrer, Old French fo(u)rrer, originally “to encase,” derivative of fuerre “sheath,” from Germanic; akin to Old English fōdder “case, sheath,” Old Norse fōthr, Greek pṓma
Fur is the fuzzy hair on an animal like a rabbit or a raccoon. One downside of having a cat or dog is that you often end up finding their fur all over your house. Most mammals have fur, dense soft coats that protect them from becoming too cold or hot. Northern dog breeds, for example, have a double coat of fur, with the dense bottom coat keeping them warm even in the snow. Sometimes fur is used to mean "an animal's pelt" or "clothing made from the fur of an animal." The phrase "to make the fur fly" means "to cause serious trouble."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Elephant seals live in open water, but it’s common for them to return to where they were born for molting season, when they shed their topmost layer of skin and fur.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026
After his career prospered, he bought his wife a fur coat one Christmas and, to make the gift more of a surprise, wrapped it in a microwave box.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
There was a room entirely designed by the artist Kenny Scharf, and it was covered in fake fur — in a club when smoking was still allowed!
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
Of those, six species tested positive for the H5N1 strain: the southern elephant seal, king and gentoo penguins, the Antarctic fur seal and the South George diving petrel.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
Clare’s undead heart galloped, his mottled fur whipping in the All Hallows’ Eve winds.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
