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There are three species of hyena— doglike carnivores found in Asia and Africa. Actually more closely related to cats than to dogs, hyenas have coarse fur, four toes on each foot, long forelegs, claws that do not retract, and enormously strong jaws and teeth. They live alone or in packs and may be active by night or day. Hyenas are noted for scavenging but will also attack live prey. The spotted, or laughing, hyena, whose calls alternately resemble wailing and maniacal laughter, ranges through much of sub-Saharan Africa. Yellowish or grayish with dark spots, it is about 6½ ft (1.8 m) long, including the 12-in (30-cm) tail, and weighs up to 175 lb (80 kg). The hyena has been known to attack people and even to carry off young children.
Examples of hyena in a Sentence
Solo Travel, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
The carnivorous marsupials, also known as Australian hyenas, are native to the island of Tasmania, off the coast of mainland Australia.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
There were also yaks, deer, buffalo, camels, a kangaroo, ostriches, eight monkeys, six raccoons, two grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears, seals, lions, an old tiger, a blind hyena, a circus elephant, an alligator and 400 birds, including a talking crow.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
As ever, the surrounding economic ecosystem for kids trying to make NIL deals will be populated by men like Blazer once was, feasting like hyenas and alligators on the migration of a vast herd of wildebeests.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hyena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyena. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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hyena
noun
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