hare

hare — noun

1. a long-eared wild animal that lives in open fields and can travel at great speed

1.nounA2
Definition

a long-eared wild animal that lives in open fields and can travel at great speed by jumping on its powerful hind legs, bigger than a pet rabbit

Example

Sirin pointed at a hare that was sitting motionless at the edge of the forest.

A hare bounded across the golf course early in the morning before anyone arrived.

hare + bounded across [place]

Common collocations
  • brown hare
  • hare runs
  • hare leaps
  • hare sits still
  • hare across the field
Synonyms
  • rabbit

    smaller than a hare, digs burrows, more common in domestic settings

  • jackrabbit

    a type of hare found in North America, with very large ears

Grammar Patterns

a/the/plural hares

Usage Note

Hares are larger than rabbits, have longer ears and legs, and do not live in burrows — they make nests called 'forms' on the ground.

Common Mistakes

I saw a rabbit with very long ears in the field, so I knew it was a hare.
I saw a hare with very long ears in the field.
Hares have noticeably longer ears and legs than rabbits, but calling it a 'rabbit' is still a naming mistake.
Idioms

(as) mad as a hatter/a March hare

idiom

Someone who is very strange or acts in a foolish way.

After staying up all night, Tom was as mad as a March hare.

Is your uncle as mad as a hatter, or just eccentric?

hare — verb

Word family

  • harebrained
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe long-eared hopping mammals, but they differ in size, behaviour, and usage. A hare is noticeably larger than a rabbit, with longer ears and more powerful hind legs, and it does not dig burrows — it lives above ground in a shallow nest called a 'form'. 'Rabbit' refers to the smaller animal that lives in underground tunnels and is more commonly kept as a pet. 'Jackrabbit' is a North American type of hare with exceptionally long ears and a bounding run. 'Bunny' is an informal, affectionate term that almost always means a rabbit, never a hare. In nature writing or farming, the distinction matters: 'The rabbit hid in its burrow, but the hare stayed out in the open field.'

rabbit ↗jackrabbitbunny ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • mad as a March hare

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'hare' comes from Old English 'hara', which traces back through Proto-Germanic to an ancient Indo-European root meaning 'grey' — a reference to the animal's fur colour. The verb sense, meaning 'to run very fast', developed later from the hare's famous speed and has been in use since the 1500s.