harelip

[ hair-lip ]

/ ˈhɛərˌlɪp /

Save This Word!

noun

Usually Offensive. cleft lip.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of harelip

First recorded in 1560–70; hare + lip

usage note for harelip

The term harelip is usually perceived as insulting because it compares the deformity in humans to the normal cleft lip of a hare. The accepted term for this medical condition is cleft lip.

OTHER WORDS FROM harelip

harelipped, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH harelip

harebrained, harelip

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use harelip in a sentence

His face was all covered with pimples, and his mouth was harelipped from a sword cut.
The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 2 of 3|George Augustus Sala
There was the expedition of the harelipped Bird with his powerful force and with cannon!
The Border Watch|Joseph A. Altsheler
He recognized at once the harelipped man, Bird, now in the uniform of a Colonel in the King's army.
The Border Watch|Joseph A. Altsheler
"An' I'd like to get a shot at that harelipped villain," interjected Shif'less Sol.
The Border Watch|Joseph A. Altsheler

Behind the harelipped man appeared Perley and Fowler, and six savage warriors, armed fully, and coated thickly with war paint.
The Border Watch|Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for harelip

harelip

/ (ˈhɛəˌlɪp) /

noun

a congenital cleft or fissure in the midline of the upper lip, resembling the cleft upper lip of a hare, often occurring with cleft palatePreferred form cleft lip

Derived forms of harelip

harelipped, adjective

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