whiskers

whiskers — noun

1. The stiff, touch-sensitive hairs that grow around the nose and mouth of animals

1.nounA2
Definition

The stiff, touch-sensitive hairs that grow around the nose and mouth of animals such as cats, dogs, and mice, helping them sense nearby objects and movement.

Example

The neighbour's cat has long white whiskers that curl at the tips.

collocation: long white whiskers

Arjun watched the mouse's delicate whiskers brush against the wall as it crept along.

Common collocations
  • long whiskers
  • white whiskers
  • sensitive whiskers
  • twitch whiskers
Synonyms
  • bristles

    shorter and stiffer hairs, like those on a brush or a pig's back; not specific to the face or sensory function

  • vibrissae

    the scientific term for animal whiskers; too technical for everyday conversation

Grammar Patterns

usually in plural: whiskers

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural form (whiskers). The singular (whisker) is rare in this sense and usually appears in the fixed phrase 'by a whisker' meaning by an extremely small amount.

Common Mistakes

The cat has a long white whisker on each side of its nose.
The cat has long white whiskers on each side of its nose.
Whiskers is almost always used in the plural form.

2. A man's facial hair, particularly the growth on the cheeks, chin, and jawline th

2.nounB1
Definition

A man's facial hair, particularly the growth on the cheeks, chin, and jawline that forms part of a beard.

Example

Bilal grew thick whiskers over the winter and decided to keep them.

collocation: grew thick whiskers

Olivia's grandfather had white whiskers that tickled her cheek when he hugged her.

Common collocations
  • thick whiskers
  • grey whiskers
  • grow whiskers
  • trim whiskers
  • dark whiskers
Synonyms
  • beard

    covers the chin, cheeks, and jaw more fully than whiskers, which often refers specifically to the sides

  • mustache

    only the hair growing on the upper lip, not the sides or chin

  • sideburns

    the strips of hair growing down the sides of the face in front of the ears; more specific than whiskers

Grammar Patterns

usually in plural: whiskers

Usage Note

Unlike 'beard' (which covers the chin and jaw fully) or 'mustache' (hair above the upper lip), 'whiskers' often emphasises the hair on the cheeks and sides of the face. Also used in the plural form only.

Common Mistakes

He shaved his whisker before the party.
He shaved his whiskers before the party.
Whiskers is almost always used in the plural.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Whiskers, bristles, vibrissae, and feelers all refer to stiff projections on an animal's body, but they differ in typical use. Whiskers are the long, sensory hairs near the mouth of mammals such as cats, mice, and dogs — this is the everyday word. Bristles are shorter and stiffer, like the hairs on a brush or a pig's back, and lack the sensory function. Vibrissae is the scientific term for whiskers, used mainly in biology or veterinary contexts. Feelers usually describe insect antennae or the tentacles of sea creatures rather than mammalian facial hairs. For example, you would say 'The cat's whiskers twitched' in ordinary speech, but a biologist might write 'The vibrissae of the seal help it detect fish in dark water.'

whiskers ↗bristles ↗vibrissaefeelers ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • long whiskers
  • white whiskers
  • thick whiskers
  • grey whiskers
  • sensitive whiskers

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Whiskers comes from Middle English 'wisker', meaning 'something that whisks or moves quickly' — a reference to the rapid twitching movement of animal whiskers. The word is related to 'whisk' (to move swiftly or brush away). By the 1500s it was used for the stiff hairs around an animal's mouth; the meaning later extended to human facial hair in the 1600s.

First known use

1600

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a