fox

fox — noun

1. a wild animal with a long narrow face, tall pointed ears, and a thick furry tail

1.nounA2
Definition

a wild animal with a long narrow face, tall pointed ears, and a thick furry tail, that hunts smaller creatures and is often presented as clever in stories

Example

A fox crossed the garden path just before dawn yesterday.

Faisal spotted a young fox near the old wooden shed behind the house.

subject-verb-object with animal as object

Common collocations
  • red fox
  • grey fox
  • arctic fox
  • fox hunt
  • fox den
Synonyms
  • vixen

    specifically a female fox; not a general substitute for 'fox'

  • tod

    British dialect term for a male fox; very rare in modern English

Grammar Patterns

a fox

the fox

fox + singular/plural verb

Usage Note

Usually 'fox' refers to the red fox, the most common species, but the word can also describe related species such as the grey fox or arctic fox.

2. the thick soft coat taken from foxes, used as material for making clothing such

2.nounB1
Definition

the thick soft coat taken from foxes, used as material for making clothing such as coats, hats, or collars

Example

The old coat was lined with fox fur around the collar.

collocation: lined with fox fur

Gabriel refused to buy the winter hat because it used real fox fur.

Common collocations
  • fox-fur coat
  • fox-fur hat
  • real fox fur
  • fake fox fur
  • fox-fur trim
Synonyms
  • vixen fur

    more specific — fur from a female fox; very rare term

Grammar Patterns

fox fur + noun

made of fox fur

fox-fur + noun

Usage Note

Often replaced by 'faux fur' or synthetic materials in modern clothing. The trade of real fox fur has declined due to animal welfare concerns.

Common Mistakes

She wears a fox on her shoulders.
She wears a fox-fur stole on her shoulders.
'a fox' means the whole live animal, not the fur material.

3. a person who uses cleverness and trickery to achieve their aims or to do better

3.nounB2
Definition

a person who uses cleverness and trickery to achieve their aims or to do better than others

Example

That old lawyer is a real fox when it comes to negotiating contracts.

collocation: a real fox

Xiu knew she had to be a clever fox to win the business deal from her rivals.

Common collocations
  • sly fox
  • wily fox
  • old fox
  • clever fox
  • crafty fox
Synonyms
  • slyboots

    informal and playful; less common

  • trickster

    focuses more on the act of deceiving than on general cleverness

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a fox

the fox

a sly fox

a wily fox

Usage Note

Often paired with adjectives such as 'sly', 'wily', or 'old' (e.g. 'a sly old fox'). The tone can be admiring of the person's cleverness or critical of their dishonesty, depending on context.

Common Mistakes

He is a fox person.
He is a fox.
'fox' alone already means a tricky person; adding 'person' is unnatural and redundant.

4. a young woman who is very physically attractive, sometimes used in a way that su

4.nounB2
Definition

a young woman who is very physically attractive, sometimes used in a way that suggests she is also exciting or alluring

Example

The novel from the 1950s described the main character as a young fox with a sharp wit.

dated usage from mid-20th century fiction

In old Hollywood films, the term fox was sometimes used for a beautiful leading lady.

Common collocations
  • young fox
  • real fox
Synonyms
  • beauty

    neutral and less specifically tied to sexual attractiveness

  • stunner

    informal British term; also potentially objectifying

Grammar Patterns

a fox

a young fox

Usage Note

This sense is considered dated and may be seen as objectifying or sexist. It appears mainly in older books, films, and songs rather than in everyday modern speech. In contemporary English, using 'fox' for a woman can be insulting, and learners should be cautious with it.

Common Mistakes

❌ Using this term to compliment someone in modern conversation — most women find it outdated or offensive.

fox — verb

Word family

  • foxy
    adjectiveB2
  • foxed
    adjectiveC1
  • outfox
    verbC1
  • foxglove
    nounC1
  • foxhole
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Fox, wolf, coyote, and jackal are all wild members of the dog family (canids), but they differ in size, behaviour, and cultural associations. A fox is the smallest of the group, with a pointed face, bushy tail, and a solitary hunting style, and is famous in folklore for being clever and tricky. A wolf is much larger, lives and hunts in packs, and is often seen in stories as fierce or loyal rather than cunning. A coyote is similar in size to a small wolf, found mainly in North America, and like the fox has a reputation for cleverness and adaptability. A jackal lives in Africa and Asia, tends to scavenge as well as hunt, and appears in folklore as a trickster figure, similar to the fox. For example: 'The fox slipped away through the fence, while the wolf pack howled from the hill.'

wolf ↗coyotejackal

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fox hunt
  • fox den
  • fox cub
  • fox population

Phrases

  • sly as a fox
  • clever as a fox
  • like a fox

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'fox' comes from Old English 'fox', which traces back to Proto-Germanic 'fuhsaz' and further to Proto-Indo-European 'puk-' meaning 'thick-haired' or 'bushy-tailed'. This ancient root also gave rise to words in other Germanic languages such as German 'Fuchs' and Dutch 'vos'. The animal's bushy tail was apparently its most defining feature to the people who named it. The verb senses of 'fox' (to confuse or deceive) developed much later in the 19th and 20th centuries, based on the animal's reputation for cleverness.