fox

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:

   “A group of foxes is called a skulk.”

2. (countable, uncountable)A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:

   “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

   “The fox went out on a chase one night, / he prayed to the Moon to give him light, / for he had many a mile to go that night / before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o. / He had many a mile to go that night / before he reached the town-o.”

   “They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.”

   “It was earliest morning, when even small trees cast long shadows and scarlet foxes trot denward through the dew like flecks of fire.”

3. (countable, uncountable)A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
4. (uncountable)The fur of a fox.
5. (countable, uncountable)A fox terrier.
6. (Australia, countable, uncountable)A flying fox.

   “Their screeches heralded excited talk from the hurrying troops, for flying fox is a delicacy. The densely-foliaged trees hedged a sombre pool, deep and quiet. As the slain foxes dropped into the water the snouts of river crocodiles popped up and devoured them.”

7. (countable, uncountable)The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
8. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)A cunning person.

   “As for thee, false friend, subtle fox, unfaithful servant, this long time am I grown weary of thee slinking up and down my palace devising darkly things I know not: thou, that art nought akin to Witchland, but an outlander, a Goblin exile, a serpent warmed in my bosom to my hurt.”

9. (countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable)A physically attractive person, typically a woman.

   “And Jerry was cute, you know, I liked him, but Frank was a total fox. And he was rougher than Jerry, you know, not so cultured.”

   “It wasn't just that Jayne was a fox – although, fuck, was she ever a fox. That arse, those tits, those lips. They could have a really good time together.”

10. (countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable)A person with reddish brown hair, typically a woman.
11. (countable, uncountable)A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
12. (countable, uncountable)A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
13. (countable, uncountable)A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.

    “Locating a hidden transmitter (the fox) has been a popular ham activity for many years.”

14. (countable, uncountable)The fourteenth Lenormand card.
15. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.

    “Thou diest on point of fox.”

16. (countable, uncountable)Air-to-air weapon launched.

    “Got a lock! Fox, Fox!”

17. (countable, uncountable)Someone who fuses many different influences and concepts in their philosophy or worldview.

    “Austin was patiently and painstakingly concerned with truth within limitations. He was a hedgehog, not a fox.”

    “Dewey was a hedgehog rather than a fox; he spent his life trying to articulate and restate a single vision, and in the writings of his third decade he already exhibits the tension I have claimed to find in the later writings.”

18. A radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter F.
19. Someone connected with Leicester City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.

    “The Foxes played with plenty of initiative in the original tie at the Walkers Stadium and they started this tie in impressively positive fashion, producing the game's first two chances: Andy King's goal-bound half-volley from Steve Howard's header down was tipped over by Joe Hart and Sol Bamba headed the resultant corner wide.”

20. (abbreviation, alt-of, dated, ellipsis)Ellipsis of Fox Indian (“a member of the Outagamie or Meskwaki, a Native American people”).
21. (abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable)Acronym of forkhead box protein.

verb

1. (transitive)To trick, fool or outwit (someone) by cunning or ingenuity.

   “I see a number of gallants every where, whoſe incomes come in yearely by ſet numbers, but runne out daily, ſans number. […] And when I ſee them often foxed, me thinke the Proverbe ſutes thoſe ſutes, what is the fox but his caſe? I ſhould thinke them to be Eutrapelus his enemies, whom he cloathed richly to make them ſpend freely, and grow deboſhed.”

2. (transitive)To confuse or baffle (someone).

   “This crossword puzzle has completely foxed me.”

3. (intransitive)To act slyly or craftily.
4. (dated, transitive)To cheat or rob.

   “Have you any news of Miriam? As I have had no reply to my delicately worded epistle, I can only presume that you foxed me with the wrong address, and that you are yourself already engaged to be married to her.”

5. (intransitive)To discolour paper. Fox marks are spots on paper caused by humidity. (See foxing.)

   “The pages of the book show distinct foxing.”

6. (transitive)To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.
7. (intransitive)To turn sour; said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.
8. (transitive)To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.

   “I drank […] so much wine that I was almost foxed.”

9. (transitive)To repair (boots) with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

name

1. (countable, uncountable)A surname transferred from the common noun derived from the name of the animal.
2. (countable, uncountable)A male given name.
3. (US, uncountable)Fox Broadcasting Company, a large television network in the United States.

   “I watched a great show on Fox last night.”

   “In some ways, it’s a pragmatic practice: Fox anchors such as Sean Hannity and, at one point, Tucker Carlson routinely attack Milley – and during the Trump years, there was also a reasonable expectation that the president would be talking to the hosts of those shows.”

4. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
5. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
6. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
7. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
8. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
9. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
10. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
11. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
12. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
13. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
14. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
15. (countable, uncountable)A placename:
16. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of Fox Tribe.
17. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of Fox language.