jack rabbit

A jack rabbit bounds across the open prairie.

Definition

Noun - A large hare of North America: "jack rabbit" refers to any of several species of large hares (genus Lepus) found in western North America, characterized by their long ears and powerful hind legs used for rapid jumping.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • A jack rabbit darted across the desert road, its ears flapping in the wind. (A large hare with long ears moved quickly.)
  • The coyote chased a jack rabbit through the sagebrush. (The predator pursued a North American hare.)

Advanced Usage

• "to jackrabbit" (verb, informal): to start or move suddenly and rapidly, like a jack rabbit.
  • The car jackrabbited away from the traffic light as soon as it turned green. (The car accelerated abruptly.)

Variants and Related Words

• Jackrabbit (adj): describing something that moves with sudden, rapid bursts.
  • The jackrabbit start of the race caught many runners off guard. (The sudden beginning surprised participants.)

Synonyms

• Hare: a fast-running, long-eared mammal of the genus .
• Leveret: a young hare, especially one less than a year old.

Related Idioms

• "jack rabbit start": a sudden, explosive beginning.
  • The project had a jack rabbit start but quickly lost momentum. (The project began very rapidly then slowed down.)