fox

The word “fox” means a small, wild, dog-like mammal known for its pointed snout, bushy tail, and cunning reputation. In plain terms, a clever, wild canine — or, describing a person, someone sly or very attractive.

“Fox” is pronounced foks (/fɑks/ in IPA).

Here is “fox” used in a sentence: “A fox slipped through the hedge at dusk.”

Depending on how it is used, “fox” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.

The word “fox” comes from Old English. From Old English fox, from a Proto-Germanic root possibly meaning "the tailed one.".

“Fox” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Fox” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small, wild, dog-like mammal known for its pointed snout, bushy tail, and cunning reputation.

Foxes belong to the dog family, Canidae, so they are more closely related to dogs, wolves, and coyotes than to cats. Even so, they show some cat-like traits, such as vertical-slit pupils, sensitive whiskers, and a mostly solitary hunting style, which is why people sometimes wonder which they resemble.

Both are wild members of the dog family, but a fox is far smaller and slighter, with a pointed snout and bushy tail, and it usually hunts alone. A wolf is large and lives and hunts in a pack. A wolf can weigh many times more than a fox.

A baby fox is called a kit, cub, or pup. The female is a vixen and the male is a dog fox or tod. Kits are born blind and helpless in spring, sheltering in a den and staying with their parents through summer before setting off on their own.

A group of foxes is usually called a skulk or a leash. Because foxes are largely solitary and hunt alone, such gatherings are uncommon in the wild. The main exception is a family unit, where a male, a vixen, and their young share a den during the breeding season.

Foxes have long stood for slyness in folklore and fables, from Aesop to Reynard the Fox. The reputation reflects their real adaptability: they are resourceful hunters, quick to raid food, and clever at exploiting new surroundings, including towns and cities, where they thrive close to people.