fur

1 of 3

verb

furred; furring

transitive verb

1
: to cover, line, trim, or clothe with fur
2
: to coat or clog as if with fur
3
: to apply furring to

intransitive verb

: to become coated or clogged as if with fur

fur

2 of 3

noun

often attributive
1
: a piece of the dressed pelt of an animal used to make, trim, or line wearing apparel
2
: an article of clothing made of or with fur
3
: the hairy coat of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick
also : such a coat with the skin
4
: a coating resembling fur: such as
a
: a coat of epithelial debris on the tongue
b
: the thick pile of a fabric (such as chenille)
furless adjective

fur

3 of 3

abbreviation

furlong

Did you know?

When the word fur first came into English, it was a verb that meant “to line a person’s garment with the soft hair of an animal.” The noun developed from the verb. First, the noun referred to the animal hair that was used for lining and trimming a garment. Then it came to refer to the hairy coat on the animal itself. The verb, not much used anymore, was taken from the early French verb furrer, meaning “to stuff, fill, line.” It was formed from an earlier French word meaning “a sheath.” Thus our word fur for the hairy coat that covers or encases an animal traces back to a word for a sheath that encases a knife or sword.

Examples of fur in a Sentence

Noun The cat has black-and-white fur. The rabbit's fur is soft. Her gloves are lined with fur. He made his fortune trading furs in the 17th century. Her new fur is a full-length mink coat. a teddy bear with soft fur
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The foils can also retract, meaning that the boats aren't at risk of marine growth, which could otherwise fur them up. Julia Buckley, CNN, 28 July 2022 Perhaps some day Levi will watch one of his father’s cartoons and notice a mama bear with tender eyes and fur the color of coffee. Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2021 Without the companion app, FurReal is still a responsive robot who makes calm, happy noises when kids pet it on its furred back, or barks a warning when its tail is tweaked. USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2020 Whether feathered or furred, all of these animals belong to the same political species: the bird-dogger. Samuel Ashworth, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2020 At the pool’s edge, mosses fur the stones in newborn green, and white flowers bloom, their perfume carried lightly on the vapor cast off by the waterfall. Seija Rankin, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2020 That was my America right there: pastel greenish-brown of grass furring the rolling hills. Colin Barrett, Harper's magazine, 5 July 2019 Even a few hours in a fruit bowl on a summer afternoon is enough to fur them with mold, after which emergency measures may or may not help. 3. New York Times, 22 May 2018 One vendor sold from racks of authentic furs while another offered a fur tissue box covers and fur hot water bottles. Beth Spotswood, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 2018
Noun
The post then featured a snap of what appeared to be Jason, 36, stroking Winnie’s fur. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Earlier this week, Gomez's bestie Nicola Peltz Beckham shared multiple photos of Gomez's bombshell look, complete with another little red dress and big red fur coat (somebody please do a wellness check on Clifford). Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 The return of the fur look—mostly faux, to be sure—was one of the more surprising accessory trends to emerge. Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 Wearers can fasten the upper part of the boot for extra warmth or fold down the top, which reveals some of the inner fur lining and provides some more breathing room. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 Marcos Lugo’s body was found draped in a fur coat his mother had lent him to shield him from the early morning winter cold. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 The cells will also be useful for testing whether Colossal’s edits to produce mammoth-like fur and fat layers are working as scientists hope. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 Aspen is always a haven for titans such as Jeff Bezos, David Geffen and Rihanna, who was spotted in the mountain town over the holidays wearing a Giorgio Armani faux fur coat and sweatsuit paired with Icon Low cream faux fur Moon Boots. Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2024 Despite the apparent no-bra dress code happening (Olivia Wilde, Zoë Kravitz, Elsa Hosk and Georgia May Jagger ditched their pasties in favor of nipple-showing looks), the Cosmos founder bundled up in a fur coat. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English furren, from Anglo-French furrer to stuff, fill, line, from fuerre sheath, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German fuotar sheath; akin to Greek pōma lid, cover, Sanskrit pāti he protects

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fur was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fur

Cite this Entry

“Fur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fur. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fur

noun
ˈfər
1
: a piece of the pelt of an animal
2
: an article of clothing made with fur
3
: the hairy coat of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick
furless
-ləs
adjective
furred
ˈfərd
adjective
Etymology

Noun

Middle English furre "a piece of animal skin used to line a garment," from furren (verb) "to line a garment with fur," from early French furrer, "to stuff, fill, line," from fuerre "sheath," of Germanic origin

Word Origin
When the word fur first came into English, it was a verb that meant "to line a person's garment with the soft hair of an animal." The noun developed from the verb. First the noun referred to animal hair used for lining and trimming a garment. Then it came to refer to the hairy coat on the animal itself. The verb, not much used anymore, was taken from the early French verb furrer meaning "to stuff, fill, line." It was formed from an earlier French word meaning "a sheath." Thus our word fur for the coat that covers or encases an animal traces back to a word for a sheath that encases a knife or sword.

Medical Definition

fur

noun
often attributive
1
: the hairy coat of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick
2
: a coat of epithelial debris on the tongue

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