fox Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
noun a shifty deceptive person
dodger; slyboots.
noun the grey or reddish-brown fur of a fox
noun English statesman who supported American independence and the French Revolution (1749-1806)
Charles James Fox.
noun English religious leader who founded the Society of Friends (1624-1691)
George Fox.
noun a member of an Algonquian people formerly living west of Lake Michigan along the Fox River
noun the Algonquian language of the Fox
verb deceive somebody
play tricks; flim-flam; play a joke on; pull a fast one on; trick; play a trick on; fob.
- We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week
verb be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
bedevil; discombobulate; confuse; confound; befuddle; fuddle; throw.
- These questions confuse even the experts
- This question completely threw me
- This question befuddled even the teacher
verb become discolored with, or as if with, mildew spots

AS. fox; akin to D. vos, G. fuchs, OHG. fuhs, foha, Goth. faúh, Icel. fa fox, fox fraud; of unknown origin, cf. Skr. puccha tail. Cf. Vixen.

plural Foxes

(Zoöl.) A carnivorous animal of the genus Vulpes, family Canidæ, of many species. The European fox (V. vulgaris or V. vulpes), the American red fox (V. fulvus), the American gray fox (V. Virginianus), and the arctic, white, or blue, fox (V. lagopus) are well-known species. ✍ The black or silver-gray fox is a variety of the American red fox, producing a fur of great value; the cross-gray and woods-gray foxes are other varieties of the same species, of less value. The common foxes of Europe and America are very similar; both are celebrated for their craftiness. They feed on wild birds, poultry, and various small animals.
Subtle as the fox for prey. Shak.
(Zoöl.) The European dragonet.
(Zoöl.) The fox shark or thrasher shark; -- called also sea fox. See Thrasher shark, under Shark.
A sly, cunning fellow. Colloq.
We call a crafty and cruel man a fox. Beattie.
(Naut.) Rope yarn twisted together, and rubbed with tar; -- used for seizings or mats.
A sword; -- so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox. Obs.
Thou diest on point of fox. Shak.
pl. (Enthnol.) A tribe of Indians which, with the Sacs, formerly occupied the region about Green Bay, Wisconsin; -- called also Outagamies.

See Fox, n., cf. Icel. fox imposture.

imperfect & past participle Foxed ; present participle & verbal noun Foxing

To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.
I drank . . . so much wine that I was almost foxed. Pepys.
To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.
To repair the feet of, as of boots, with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.