fur
noun
the fine, soft, thick, hairy coat of the skin of a mammal.
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fur 2.
fur
1 American
[fur]
/ fɜr /
noun
-
furs
plural
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the fine, soft, thick, hairy coat of the skin of a mammal.
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the skin of certain animals, as the sable, ermine, or beaver, covered with such a coat, used for lining, trimming, or making garments.
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a garment made of fur.
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any coating resembling or suggesting fur, as certain matter on the tongue.
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Heraldry. any conventional representation of a fur, as ermine, vair, potent, or their variations.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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furs,
present (3rd person singular)
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furred,
past participle, past
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furring
present participle
-
to line, face, or trim, with fur, as a garment.
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Building Trades. to apply furring to (a wall, ceiling, etc.).
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to clothe (a person) with fur.
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to coat with foul or deposited matter.
idioms
fur.
2
American
abbreviation
fur
1
British
/ fɜː /
noun
-
the dense coat of fine silky hairs on such mammals as the cat, seal, and mink
-
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the dressed skin of certain fur-bearing animals, with the hair left on
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( as modifier )
a fur coat
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a garment made of fur, such as a coat or stole
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a pile fabric made in imitation of animal fur
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a garment made from such a fabric
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heraldry any of various stylized representations of animal pelts or their tinctures, esp ermine or vair, used in coats of arms
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informal a whitish coating of cellular debris on the tongue, caused by excessive smoking, an upset stomach, etc
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a whitish-grey deposit consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate precipitated from hard water onto the insides of pipes, boilers, and kettles
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to cause a scene or disturbance
verb
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(tr) to line or trim a garment, etc, with fur
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(often foll by up) to cover or become covered with a furlike lining or deposit
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(tr) to clothe (a person) in a fur garment or garments
fur.
2
British
abbreviation
fur
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fursimple
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furssimple
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have furredperfect
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has furredperfect
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am furringprogressive
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are furringprogressive
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is furringprogressive
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have been furringperfect progressive
-
has been furringperfect progressive
Past
-
furredsimple
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had furredperfect
-
was furringprogressive
-
were furringprogressive
-
had been furringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fur
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
Explanation
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."
Vocabulary lists containing fur
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:
Spot-on treatments to prevent parasite infestations in fur and on skin are currently widely available for pet owners to buy in supermarkets and online.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
We added a super crazy, comfy couch made of fake fur and people love it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
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
Eleven years into their relationship, Waidelich has her gripes with the felines: The fur is everywhere, “the litter box is disgusting,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
He was still several blocks away when a woman wearing a wide-brimmed bonnet and a fur cloak approached.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"Nobody with a heart will wear fur. No designer with any sense will touch it. Any fashion house still selling it in 2021 is an embarrassment," Peta said in a statement.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2021
“And I loved her clothes in the birthday scene. She’s wearing a gold dress and a big fur. I couldn’t help but feel royal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2021
A-line mini dresses came covered in patches of multicolored fur. or with sleek harness details.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2015
“She is like my daughter with fur. She is brilliant. She really understands English. Even though she’s French.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2014
Mamita hisses in Quichua, “Get your face out of that filthy animal’s fur. Or else we’ll eat it for lunch.”
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Shopkeepers at the boutique frantically hid their furs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri marked her return to Fendi at Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, presenting a sensual and lightweight collection featuring "remodelled" furs and leathers crafted like lace.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Beavers in the UK were hunted to extinction in the 16th Century, mainly for their furs.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025
Camilla’s furs parted, and a head appeared, then an entire mouse, snow-white.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
The former is a low-mounding perennial with furred purple blooms on short stems in spring, while the latter is a deciduous woody vine that produces nodding, deep yellow flowers in late summer.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
His new, weird, soft sponginess is unsettling at best, and though his furred friends are a little less off-putting, it’s not by much.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2021
Rising out of the woods is a storybook bridge over a dry creek bed, the brick furred with lichen, moss and cobwebs.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2021
America’s astounding natural treasures, including the furred and feathered ones, are an irreplaceable part of the national heritage.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 2, 2020
They were favored animals, not starved, but well furred, the golden hair tempered with black guard hairs.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
I was astounded by what I saw as I removed the drywall that was screwed to the wood furring strips that were nailed to the four-inch solid concrete block that made the chimney.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2021
If flue gases had escaped from the chimney, they could have set the wood framing near the chimney and the wood furring strips on fire.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2021
Made of rare-earth magnets encased in wood, the holder looks almost like a well-sanded and stained furring strip.
From Slate ● Jan. 4, 2019
Bad cholesterol is the villain in heart world - it leads to blood vessels furring up, becoming easy to block which fatally starves the heart or brain of oxygen.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2017
The pine paneling was gone from the walls leaving just the furring strips.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.
