hare

1 of 2

noun

ˈher 

plural hare or hares

: any of various swift, gnawing, herbivorous, usually shy lagomorph mammals (family Leporidae and especially genus Lepus) that have long ears, short tails, and powerful long hind legs, are usually solitary or sometimes live in pairs, have the young open-eyed and furred at birth, and live in aboveground nests compare rabbit sense 1a

hare

2 of 2

verb

hared; haring

intransitive verb

: to go swiftly : tear entry 1

hare off down the road

Did you know?

You're most likely familiar with Aesop's fable about the speedy hare and the plodding tortoise. The hare may have lost that race due to a tactical error (stopping to take a nap before reaching the finish line), but the long-eared mammal's overall reputation for swiftness remains intact. It's no surprise, then, that hare is used as a verb meaning "to move quickly." The noun hare (which refers, in its most specific zoological sense, to a member of the genus Lepus, whose young are usually able to hop a few minutes after birth) is a very old word. It first appeared as hara in a Latin-Old English glossary around the year 700. The verb was in use by the end of the 19th century, and people have been "haring off" and "haring about" ever since.

Synonyms

Verb

• race
• speed
• trot
• hurry
• chase
• rush
• fly
• travel
• scurry
• drive
• zip
• jump
• run
• dart

Examples of hare in a Sentence

Verb

He came haring round the corner at top speed.

she's always haring off to attend to some emergency

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Inside the big canvas structure, visitors find giant hares — that’s a rabbit — lizards, bantam chickens, chinchillas and hedgehogs, many of which are being seen for the first time by curious children. —J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2025

For instance, the Asian hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) is actually a rabbit, while American jackrabbits (genus Lepus) are actually hares. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025

Verb

Now a San Rafael couple is haring their adventures in Curaçao. —Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 23 June 2024

Why hare off to nurse in the Spanish-American War? —Denise Davidson Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hara; akin to Old High German haso hare, Sanskrit śaśa, Old English hasu gray

Verb

derivative of hare entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1893, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hare

• arctic hare
• Belgian hare
• hare and hounds
• sea hare
• snowshoe hare
• varying hare

Rhymes for hare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

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Kids Definition

hare

noun

ˈha(ə)r,

ˈhe(ə)r

plural hare or hares

: any of various swift animals that are like the related rabbits but usually have longer ears and hind legs and have young born with open eyes and a furry coat