cottontail
noun
cot·ton·tail
| \ ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌtāl
\
\
Definition of cottontail
: any of several rather small North American rabbits (genus Sylvilagus) sandy to grayish brown in color with a white-tufted underside of the tail
Examples of cottontail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
They were released into the wild and have devastated native populations of bobcats, opossums, raccoons and foxes and have nearly wiped out cottontail rabbits. — Washington Post, "Florida doubles efforts to hunt invasive pythons," 7 Aug. 2019 For the cottontail, the small, light-brown bunny with white on the underside of its tail, the increasingly urban environment makes for a pretty nice life. — Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Notice a bunny boom? Here are some reasons for the Seattle area’s recent rise in rabbits," 19 July 2019 Eastern cottontail rabbits began decimating the roses about a year and a half ago, gnawing the skin off the canes, nibbling the petals, and generally wreaking havoc with the delicate flowers. — Michael Levenson, BostonGlobe.com, "‘The roses and the rabbits can’t live together’," 24 June 2019 The species, too, include the abundant (gray squirrel and cottontail rabbit) to the seldom seen (fisher and gray fox). — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Snapshot Wisconsin trail cam project poised to go statewide," 6 July 2018 For wildlife sightings just outside the museum, look out for grey foxes, desert cottontails, and relict leopard frogs. — Kim Windyka, Daily Intelligencer, "The 9 Best Offbeat Museums to Visit in Las Vegas," 16 June 2018 Our chemical-free pest control includes everything from a nearby doghouse to aluminum pie-tins tied to stakes to rattle in the wind as a means to frighten away cottontail offenders. — Philip Potempa, Post-Tribune, "Carrots are a colorful ingredient addition for any season," 30 Mar. 2018 Shoes with rubber soles may seem unsavory, but preliminary results show that urban coyotes gulp them down, along with western cottontail rabbits, birds, avocados, oranges, peaches, candy wrappers, fast-food cartons and an occasional cat. — Louis Sahagun, latimes.com, "How do coyotes thrive in urban Southern California? The answer is not for the weak-stomached," 23 Mar. 2018 Bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbits and other small animals find their winter homes in brush piles and thick patches. — Evan Macdonald, cleveland.com, "No one harmed in Christmas house fire in Broadview Heights," 25 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cottontail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cottontail
cottontail
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cottontail
: a small rabbit with a white tail
See the full definition for cottontail in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cottontail
noun
cot·ton·tail
| \ ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌtāl
\
\
Kids Definition of cottontail
: a small rabbit with a white tail