jackrabbit

[ jak-rab-it ]

adjective
  1. 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)
  1. to go or start forward with a rapid, sudden movement.

Origin of jackrabbit

1
First recorded in 1925–30; see origin at jack rabbit

Words Nearby jackrabbit

Other definitions for jack rabbit (2 of 2)

jack rabbit

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

Origin of jack rabbit

2
1860–65; jack(ass) + rabbit; so named from the size of its ears

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jackrabbit in a sentence

  • Lepus californicus merriami Mearns: Black-tailed jackrabbit.

  • Ordinarily these dogs, who were also wise beasts, passed by the jackrabbit in his abundance with only inhibited longing.

    The Killer | Stewart Edward White
  • A jackrabbit arrested in full flight by a charge of shot turns a very spectacular somersault.

    The Killer | Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for jack rabbit

jack rabbit

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

Origin of jack rabbit

1
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