fur

SayFUR/fɜɹ/UK/fɜː/

Pluralfurs (some meanings)

17 meanings of fur

1
animal coatnoununcountable
The soft, thick hair that covers animals like cats, rabbits, and bears.
Like a warm coat an animal wears all the time.
The cat's fur was soft and warm.
Rabbits have thick fur to keep them warm in winter.
Similarcoat, hair, pelt
2
noununcountable
Animal skin with the hair still on, used to make or trim clothes.
Like leather, but with the soft hair left on.
The coat was lined with soft fur for the cold months.
Traders once traveled great distances to sell fur.
Similarpelt
3
coat or wrapnouncountable
A coat or jacket made from the soft, hairy skin of animals.
She wore an expensive fur to the opera.
Several furs hung in the hotel cloakroom.
UsagePeople say her furs for fur coats.
Note
4
noununcountable
The thick, soft top surface of some kinds of cloth.
Like the soft, deep top of a thick bath towel.
The teddy bear's fur was worn thin from years of hugs.
This blanket has soft fake fur on one side and cotton on the other.
Similarpile, nap, plush
Note
5
for (spoken)prepositionnonstandardpronunciation spelling
Pronunciation spelling of for: the word for, spelled the way some people say it, as in "this is fur you."
This basket is fur you and the children.
She baked a pie fur the whole street to share.
Note

Less common meanings

6
body hairnouncolloquialuncountable
Thick hair on a person's body.
He joked about the fur on his chest.
Dad joked that the fur on his chest kept him warm in winter.
Similarhair
7
fandom membernouncountable
A person who belongs to the fan group that loves animal characters with human traits.
Several furs gathered at the convention in colorful costumes.
As a fur, she designs her own animal character.
Similarfurry
Note
8
verbtransitive
To cover something with fur or a coating that looks like fur.
Like spreading a soft layer over the surface of something.
Frost furred the car windows overnight.
Hard water will fur the inside of your kettle.
UsageThe past form is furred, with two r's.
Similarline, trim, coat
9
peach fuzznoununcountable
The soft, fuzzy coating on the skin of a peach.
Like the tiny soft hairs you can feel on a brand-new green leaf.
The fur on a ripe peach tickled her lips as she took a bite.
He rubbed the fur off the peach before slicing it into the bowl.
Similarfuzz, down
10
becauseconjunctionnonstandardpronunciation spelling
Pronunciation spelling of for: an old-fashioned word meaning because, spelled the way some people say it.
“Come on inside,” Grandpa said, “fur it's fixin' to rain.”
“Don't you cry, child,” she said, “fur I'll be back soon.”
Note
11
become cakedverbintransitive
To slowly get covered with fur or a fur-like layer.
Pipes fur quickly in areas with hard water.
When I had the flu, my tongue furred up and everything tasted bad.
UsageSay pipes fur up.
Note
12
noununcountable
Rabbits and hares thought of as animals to hunt, not birds.
The hunters brought home more fur than feather that day.
Most of the game on this farm is fur, not feather.
UsagePeople say fur and feather.
Oppositefeather
Note
13
noununcountable
The hard, crusty layer that hard water leaves inside kettles and pipes.
Like the white crust you sometimes see inside an old kettle.
A thick fur had built up inside the old kettle.
Hard water leaves a chalky fur on the heating element.
Similarscale, limescale, deposit
14
noununcountable
A whitish coating that can build up on the tongue.
Like a thin film that forms on something left unwashed.
A thick fur covered his tongue when he was sick.
The doctor noticed a yellowish fur on the patient's tongue.
Similarcoating, film
15
level (building)verbtransitive
To fix thin strips of wood or metal to a surface to make it level or leave a gap behind it.
Like putting small wooden blocks under a wobbly table so it sits flat.
Workers fur the old wall before adding fresh boards.
She furred the uneven floor to make it sit flat.
UsageYou can also say fur out.
Similarbatten
Note
16
sex appealnounslangvulgaruncountable
A crude slang word for being sexually attractive to others.
Similarallure, magnetism, charisma
Note
17
noun
A patterned design used in a coat of arms, such as ermine or vair.

Practice

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Origin

It came through Middle English and Anglo-Norman words meaning "case" or "sheath," going back to old Germanic words for "sheath" or "lining."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The word passed through Middle English and Anglo-Norman, with case or sheath as ancestral meanings. en.wiktionary.org
Earlier Germanic ancestors meant sheath or lining. en.wiktionary.org