furball
furball — noun
- furballsingular
- furballsplural
1. an informal affectionate word for a small animal with soft fur, especially a pet
an informal affectionate word for a small animal with soft fur, especially a pet such as a rabbit, hamster, or kitten that feels nice to pick up and cuddle.
Trang lifted the little furball from its cage and let it rest in her palm.
Rafael's class brought a furry classroom pet, and everyone wanted to hold the tiny furball.
collocation: tiny furball / classroom pet
Each morning the children checked on the baby rabbits, calling every wiggly furball by name.
Henrik spent an hour brushing his hamster until the sleepy furball looked perfectly clean.
Brooke held the tiny furball close as it snuggled into her wool scarf.
用法筆記
This sense is always affectionate and usually refers to a pet or baby animal; using it for a wild animal that is not cute would sound odd.
常見錯誤
2. a small mass of animal fur that builds up inside a cat's or other animal's stoma
a small mass of animal fur that builds up inside a cat's or other animal's stomach and is brought back up through the mouth.
Imran found a wet furball on the kitchen floor after the cat got sick.
collocation: found a wet furball
The vet told Omar that regular brushing can help reduce the furballs his cat produces.
Haruto bought special cat food meant to stop furballs from forming in the stomach.
The orange cat walked onto the rug, coughed loudly, and left a damp furball behind.
Ilan cleaned the furball off the sofa with a paper towel and some spray cleaner.
- hairball
more formal and the standard veterinary term; 'furball' is the informal alternative
用法筆記
Most common when talking about cats, but can also apply to other animals that groom themselves, such as rabbits or dogs.