Definition of "fox"

fox

/fɒks/

noun
plural foxes or (nonstandard, dialectal) foxen
1. A red fox, small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes), related to dogs and wolves, with red or silver fur and a bushy tail.
  Quotations
  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.
  15th century, The Fox, verse 1
  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.
  1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], “The First Gun”, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], page 1
  It was earliest morning, when even small trees cast long shadows and scarlet foxes trot denward through the dew like flecks of fire.
  1987, Gene Wolfe, chapter XXVIII, in The Urth of the New Sun, 1st US edition, New York: Tor Books, page 164
2. Any of numerous species of small wild canids resembling the red fox. In the taxonomy they form the tribe Vulpini within the family Canidae, consisting of nine genera (see the Wikipedia article on the fox).
3. The fur of a fox.
4. A fox terrier.
5. The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
6. (slang, figurative) A cunning person.
7. (slang, figurative) A physically attractive man or woman.
  Quotations
  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.
  1993, Laura Antoniou, The Marketplace, page 90
  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.
  2012, Adele Parks, Still Thinking of You
8. (slang, figurative) A person with reddish brown hair, usually a woman.
9. (nautical) A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
10. (mechanics) A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
11. A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.
  Quotations
  Locating a hidden transmitter (the fox) has been a popular ham activity for many years.
  2006, H. Ward Silver, The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual
12. (cartomancy) The fourteenth Lenormand card.
13. (obsolete) A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
  Quotations
  Thou diest on point of fox.
  1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene iv]
14. (military, aviation) Air-to-air weapon launched.
  Quotations
  Got a lock! Fox, Fox!
  2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, v1.0, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: The Ark
verb
third-person singular simple present foxes, present participle foxing, simple past and past participle foxed
1. (transitive) To trick, fool or outwit (someone) by cunning or ingenuity.
2. (transitive) To confuse or baffle (someone).
3. (intransitive) To act slyly or craftily.
4. (intransitive) To discolour paper. Fox marks are spots on paper caused by humidity. (See foxing.)
5. (transitive) To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.
6. (intransitive) To turn sour; said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.
7. (transitive) To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.
  Quotations
  I drank […] so much wine that I was almost foxed.
  1661 October 9 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “September 29th, 1661 (Lord’s Day)”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume II, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1893
8. (transitive) To repair (boots) with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Definition of "fox"

fox

noun

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verb

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