hare

noun

\ ˈher

plural hare or hares

Definition of hare

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

verb

hared; haring

Definition of hare (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to go swiftly : tear entry 1 hare off down the road

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about hare

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Did You Know?

Verb

No doubt you've heard 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.

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

If someone spots a hare and decides to go after it, the stag escapes and everyone else ends up hungry. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Low-caste men in India cooperate like college students," 7 Nov. 2018 Also, the characters are technically hares in this version of the tale, not rabbits. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Netflix’s new Watership Down proves the beloved children’s classic was a horror story all along," 30 Dec. 2018 For the moment, Musk the hare had darted ahead: His powerful Falcon 9 rocket had lifted a payload into orbit, whereas Bezos’ smaller New Shephard craft had merely gone up into the edge of space and returned. — Walter Isaacson, New York Times, "In This Space Race, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk Are Competing to Take You There," 24 Apr. 2018 Ground crews reportedly found only one hare carcass, leading to speculation that another had been sucked into the engine. — Michael Bartiromo, Fox News, "Aer Lingus flight turns back after possibly sucking hare into engine," 11 May 2018 Currently, the hare is only mismatched by a week or two. — Author: Livia Albeck Ripka, Brad Plumer, Anchorage Daily News, "5 plants and animals utterly confused by climate change," 10 Apr. 2018 Among them was an ivory netsuke of a trembling hare with amber-inlaid eyes. — Scott Reyburn, New York Times, "Looming Ivory Ban Will Create a Mountain of Unsellable Antiques," 12 Apr. 2018 Worse, humans also hunt the animals — deer, badgers and hares — that wild Amur feed on. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018 According to the legend, following a long winter, the goddess of spring, Eastre, turned a frozen bird into a snow hare that could lay colorful eggs. — Taysha Murtaugh, Woman's Day, "'Do Bunnies Lay Eggs?' Is an Actual Question People Ask Google," 15 Feb. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Karius looked stricken as the game ticked through its final minutes, as Cristiano Ronaldo hared around, desperately searching for the goal that would allow him his moment in the spotlight. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "Real Madrid Beats Liverpool in Champions League Final on a Wonder and Two Blunders," 27 May 2018 Sadio Mane intercepted a stray pass on the edge of his area, before playing a through ball between two defenders to set Mohamed Salah haring down the line. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Liverpool stun Manchester City to take commanding lead in Champions League tie," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hare.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.