jackrabbit

[ jak-rab-it ]

/ ˈdʒækˌræb ɪt /

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adjective

resembling a jack rabbit, as in suddenness or rapidity of movement: The car made a jackrabbit start when the traffic light turned green.

verb (used without object)

to go or start forward with a rapid, sudden movement.

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Origin of jackrabbit

First recorded in 1925–30; see origin at jack rabbit

Other definitions for jackrabbit (2 of 2)

jack rabbit

noun

any of various large hares of western North America, having very long hind legs and long ears.

Origin of jack rabbit

1860–65; jack(ass) + rabbit; so named from the size of its ears

How to use jackrabbit in a sentence

Starting in the 1970s, then MPAA president Jack Valenti began what was to become a decades-long fight against the quota system.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Heinold's First and Last Chance, Oakland (Jack London, Taft) You can thank Johnny Heinold for your favorite Jack London book.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But not even the threat of death can suppress the urge to live vicariously through Jack Dawson and James Bond.
North Korea’s Secret Movie Bootleggers: How Western Films Make It Into the Hermit Kingdom|Lizzie Crocker|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With Big Eyes a lot of people, myself included, were glad to see you emerge from the rabbit hole that is the CG world.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As I size up the scene, Jack White now wears the crown … and he wears it well.
The Best Albums of 2014|Ted Gioia|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strathland would bundle me out in ten minutes if anything happened to Jack.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Why he did that, instead of walking around on the shore, Jimmy Rabbit couldn't understand.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
She is immensely rich, one of the ablest political women in London, and Jack is desperately in love with her.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
How on earth can Jack find time to think about women with the immense amount of work he gets through?
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
No, Jack is not much to look at, except when he wakes up—I have seen him quite transfigured on the platform.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for jackrabbit

jack rabbit

noun

any of various W North American hares, such as Lepus townsendi (white-tailed jack rabbit), having long hind legs and large ears

Word Origin for jack rabbit

C19: shortened from jackass-rabbit, referring to its long ears

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