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hairball

American

[hair-bawl] / ˈhɛərˌbɔl /

noun

a ball of hair accumulated in the stomach or intestines of a cat or other animal as a result of the animal's licking its coat.

hairball British

/ ˈhɛəˌbɔːl /

noun

a compact mass of hair that forms in the stomach of cats, calves, etc, as a result of licking and swallowing the fur, and causes vomiting, coughing, bloat, weight loss, and depression

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hairball

First recorded in 1705–15; hair + ball ¹

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.

His team having coughed up a hairball of a loss against rival USC, Mick Cronin returned to his Encino home Saturday night to find comfort in a furry companion.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2024

The collection includes George Washington’s death announcement, a mummified cat and even a giant hairball.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2023

We all want a season that's more ho-ho-ho than hairball.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2022

Remember, you were perfectly comfortable around the smirking green hairball with an extra-small heart and the crooning skeleton in a bat bow tie.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2022

He was such a dweeb, but he was almost my dweeb now—the only kid who’d stuck by me while the whole school flocked to the hairball.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023