guinea pig
noun
1
: a small stout-bodied short-eared tailless domesticated rodent (Cavia porcellus) of South American origin often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research
called also cavy
2
: a subject of research, experimentation, or testing
Examples of guinea pig in a Sentence
He volunteered to act as a guinea pig in the experiment.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sometimes love is felt from having pets, dogs, or cats, and even guinea pigs or hamsters.
—
Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The teeny cut-outs look like the work of a very polite, hungry goldfish or maybe a peckish guinea pig.
—Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 3 Feb. 2025
Conrad Gessner, the sixteenth-century Swiss physician, naturalist, and linguist, and reputedly the first European to describe the guinea pig, the tulip, and the pencil, is also said to be the first to write extensively about the northern bald ibis.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
So far, Sacramento SPCA has picked up a total of 17 animals, including nine dogs, three hamsters and three guinea pigs, Brent said.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guinea pig
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Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The teeny cut-outs look like the work of a very polite, hungry goldfish or maybe a peckish guinea pig.
—Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 3 Feb. 2025
Conrad Gessner, the sixteenth-century Swiss physician, naturalist, and linguist, and reputedly the first European to describe the guinea pig, the tulip, and the pencil, is also said to be the first to write extensively about the northern bald ibis.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
So far, Sacramento SPCA has picked up a total of 17 animals, including nine dogs, three hamsters and three guinea pigs, Brent said.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guinea pig
Cite this Entry
“Guinea pig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guinea%20pig. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
guinea pig
noun
guin·ea pig
ˈgin-ē-ˌ 
: a small stout-bodied short-eared nearly tailless domesticated rodent of the genus Cavia (C. cobaya) often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research
called also cavy
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