What does "hare" mean?
Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
Hare
/hɛə/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
- Grammar: hare is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: cony, aardvark, aardwolf, alpaca.
- Useful contrasts: amble, cottontail, crawl.
- Usage evidence: First, catch your hare, then cook him.
How to use "hare"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hare" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hare" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hare" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hare" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hare" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cony" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hare", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears. countable
"The hare has a reputation for exciting desire. Hare soup is credited with a particular aphrodisiac value."
- 2 swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes wordnet
- 3 The meat from this animal. uncountable
"Ashe bit absent-mindedly into a piece of hare and swore mildly when he burned his tongue."
- 4 flesh of any of various rabbits or hares (wild or domesticated) eaten as food wordnet
- 5 The player in a paperchase, or hare and hounds game, who leaves a trail of paper to be followed. countable
Verb
- 1 To move swiftly. intransitive
"But Wales somehow snaffled possession for fly-half Jones to send half-back partner Mike Phillips haring away with Stoddart in support."
- 2 To excite; to tease, or worry; to harry. obsolete
"To hare and rate them thus at every turn, is not to teach them, but to vex, and torment them to no purpoſe."
- 3 run quickly, like a hare wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Grey, hoary; grey-haired, venerable (of people). regional
"a hare old man"
- 2 Cold, frosty (of weather). regional
"a hare day"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
- 2 Synonym of Sahtú.
- 3 A hamlet in Broadway parish, Somerset, England, previously in South Somerset district (OS grid ref ST2915).
- 4 An unincorporated community in Williamson County, Texas, United States.
- 5 A dialect of Slavey, an Athabaskan language.
Antonyms
Example
"First, catch your hare, then cook him."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hare"?
Common synonyms include: cony, aardvark, aardwolf, alpaca, angora goat, animal.
How do you use "hare" in a sentence?
First, catch your hare, then cook him.
How do you pronounce "hare"?
Pronounced /hɛə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English hare, from Old English hara (“hare”), from Proto-West Germanic *hasō ~ *haʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *hasô, from *haswaz (“grey”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂s-én-. Cognates See also West Frisian hazze, Dutch haas, German Hase, Norwegian and Swedish hare, Icelandic heri), Old English hasu, Middle High German heswe (“pale, dull”); also Welsh cannu (“to whiten”), ceinach (“hare”), Latin cānus (“white”), cascus (“old”), Old Prussian sasnis (“hare”), Pashto سوی (soe, “hare”) and Sanskrit शश (śaśa, “hare”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English harren, harien (“to drag by force, ill-treat”), of uncertain origin. Compare harry, harass.
Etymology 3
From Middle English hore, from Old English hār (“hoar, hoary, grey, old”), from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”). Cognate with German hehr (“noble, sublime”).
Etymology 4
* As an Irish surname, from ó hír (“descendant of Ír”), a personal name related to Old Irish sír (“long-lasting”). * Also as an Irish surname, from ó Haichir (“descendant of Aichear”), from aichear (“sharp”). * As an English surname, from the noun hare, originally as a nickname. * Also as an English surname, from Ayre. * Also as an English surname, from the obsolete Old English hær (“stone”). * Also as an English surname, variant of Hair. * As a French surname, from the verb harer (“to stir up, excite”), from Old French harier, from Frankish *hariōn, from Proto-Germanic *harjōną (“to devastate, lay waste”). * As a German surname, variant of Harr.