snowshoe hare

noun

: a hare (Lepus americanus) of northern North America with heavy fur on the hind feet and a coat that in most populations is brown in the summer but usually white in the winter

called also snowshoe rabbit, varying hare

Illustration of snowshoe hare

• 1 winter coat
• 2 summer coat

Examples of snowshoe hare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Snowshoes by Deena Sveinsson Patience was key to American photographer Deena Sveinsson’s capture of this acrobatic snowshoe hare. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024

Opossum, skunk, weasel, porcupine, snowshoe hare and woodchucks No season limits, bag limits, size limits or possession limits, but a license is required. —Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2017

One by one, a snowshoe hare, snowy owl, arctic fox and others take shelter under his warm tent-like coat. —Jan Brett, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2023

To search for the answer, Sheriff and his coauthors scoured data from 6 decades' worth of snowshoe hare population data. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

snowshoe hare

noun

: a rather large hare of northern North America with heavily furred hind feet and a coat that is brown in summer but usually white in winter

called also snowshoe rabbit