noun
hairball
Hairball (noun) means a clump of swallowed fur that forms in the stomach of a cat or other grooming animal. Example: “The cat coughed up a hairball on the kitchen floor.”
noun
1
A clump of swallowed fur that forms in the stomach of a cat or other grooming animal.
"The cat coughed up a hairball on the kitchen floor."
2
A messy, tangled problem that's hard to sort out.
"The contract negotiations are turning into a real hairball."
"Untangling the company's finances turned into a total hairball."
How to use hairball
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLiterally a lump of fur a pet coughs up, or figuratively a tangled mess of a problem.
Common pairings
cough up a hairball
a legal hairball
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Word forms
- Plural
- hairballs
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The cat coughed up a _____ on the kitchen floor.
Etymology
A straightforward combination of "hair" and "ball," describing a compacted clump of fur.
Synonyms
View more →
trichobezoar
bezoar
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “hairball” mean?
The word “hairball” means a clump of swallowed fur that forms in the stomach of a cat or other grooming animal. In plain terms, literally a lump of fur a pet coughs up, or figuratively a tangled mess of a problem.
How do you use “hairball” in a sentence?
Here is “hairball” used in a sentence: “The cat coughed up a hairball on the kitchen floor.”
What is another word for “hairball”?
Words with a similar meaning to “hairball” include bezoar.
What part of speech is “hairball”?
“Hairball” is a noun.
How many meanings does “hairball” have?
“Hairball” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a clump of swallowed fur that forms in the stomach of a cat or other grooming animal.
