jackal

American  

[jak-uhl, -awl] / ˈdʒæk əl, -ɔl /

noun

jackals plural

1. any of several nocturnal wild dogs of the genus Canis, especially C. aureus, of Asia and Africa, that scavenge or hunt in packs.

2. a person who performs dishonest or base deeds as the follower or accomplice of another.

3. a person who performs menial or degrading tasks for another.

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jackal British  

/ ˈdʒækɔːl /

noun

1. any of several African or S Asian canine mammals of the genus Canis , closely related to the dog, having long legs and pointed ears and muzzle: predators and carrion-eaters

2. a person who does menial tasks for another

3. a villain, esp a swindler

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• jackals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of jackal

1595–1605; < alteration, by association with Jack, of Persian shag ( h ) āl; cognate with Sanskrit śṛgāla

Compare meaning

How does jackal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• jackal vs. hyena

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jackal jackals

I suppose she is referring to an alley cat or perhaps a jackal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

Dead animals littered the side of the road; deer, raccoons, something that looked like a purple jackal, a Chupacabra or two, what looked like a werewolf, and at least one low-flying turkey vulture.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024

Despite the Ivy League imprimatur, the cartoonist was still happy when people called him “the retching jackal guy,” a reference to his Mad illustration showing that animal mid-vomit.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023

“Really,” he said in a video interview promoting the exhibition, “I feel like I’m an outsider. I’m really an oddball guy who managed to, like a jackal, eat whatever the pigs leave behind.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2023

Near the feet of each god or goddess was an animal meant to represent them—a heron, a crocodile, a jackal, a serpent, a dove, and a hippo.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

As North Korea’s hagiographers rewrote history, they held American missionaries responsible for the country’s misfortunes, while state-sponsored novels, plays and museums depicted them as jackals who subjected Koreans to vile human experiments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026

"He wanted, needed, deserved..a third act. It was ..in the planning. And then, those jackals."

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

The animals, also known as the plains wolf and listed as vulnerable, are smaller than the stronger Himalayan wolf and can be mistaken for other species such as jackals.

From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025

Though they are genetically closer to jackals, they convergently evolved to resemble gray wolves.

From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025

Vultures had found it, and a few silverback jackals nipped at the birds and wriggled through the massed feathers.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer