jackrabbit

American  

[jak-rab-it] / ˈdʒækˌræb ɪt /

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.

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verb (used without object)

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

Etymology

Origin of jackrabbit

First recorded in 1925–30; jack rabbit

Example Sentences

Coupling that with better in-town driving practices, such as slowing down ahead of the upcoming red light rather than racing to it, and avoiding jackrabbit starts results in more savings.

From Washington Post • May 16, 2022

It features animals such as white-tailed deer, jackrabbit, alligator snapping turtle, lake sturgeon, blue jay and roseate spoonbill.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2021

He never was a jackrabbit and seems content with the hundreds of other ways that we show love.

From Slate • Oct. 11, 2020

He spent his first night camping in Tulare, where he ate a jackrabbit.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2019

Her laugh was the bouncy kind that starts somewhere in the pit of the stomach and leaps up the body like a jackrabbit, finally coming to rest around the eyes.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan