snowshoe hare

noun

: a hare (Lepus americanus) of northern North America with heavy fur on the hind feet and a coat that in most populations is brown in the summer but usually white in the winter

called also snowshoe rabbit, varying hare

Illustration of snowshoe hare

Illustration of snowshoe hare
  • 1 winter coat
  • 2 summer coat

Examples of snowshoe hare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Snowshoes by Deena Sveinsson Patience was key to American photographer Deena Sveinsson’s capture of this acrobatic snowshoe hare. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Opossum, skunk, weasel, porcupine, snowshoe hare and woodchucks No season limits, bag limits, size limits or possession limits, but a license is required. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2017 One by one, a snowshoe hare, snowy owl, arctic fox and others take shelter under his warm tent-like coat. Jan Brett, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2023 To search for the answer, Sheriff and his coauthors scoured data from 6 decades' worth of snowshoe hare population data. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2015 See all Example Sentences for snowshoe hare 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snowshoe hare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snowshoe hare was circa 1890

Dictionary Entries Near snowshoe hare

Cite this Entry

“Snowshoe hare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snowshoe%20hare. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

snowshoe hare

noun
: a rather large hare of northern North America with heavily furred hind feet and a coat that is brown in summer but usually white in winter

called also snowshoe rabbit

More from Merriam-Webster on snowshoe hare

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