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# wildcat

noun (a wildcat, wildcats); adjective (wildcat — sudden and not officially allowed)

«wildcat» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A wildcat is a wild cat that looks like a big tabby, living in Europe, Africa and Asia; the Scottish wildcat is very rare. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#m1)
2. In America, wildcat can mean any wild member of the cat family, like a bobcat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#m2)
3. A wildcat strike is a sudden strike by workers without the union's official approval. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#m3)
4. (informal) A wildcat is a fierce, wild person. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#m4)

### In the lessons

In nature studies it is a rare, protected British animal. In news, a "wildcat strike" is a sudden, unofficial strike. Phrases: Scottish wildcat, wildcat strike.

### Examples

- The Scottish wildcat is one of Britain's rarest animals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x1)
- A wildcat looks like a tabby cat with a thick, ringed tail. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x2)
- Workers walked out in a wildcat strike. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x3)
- Wildcats hide in forests and hunt at night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x4)
- She fought like a wildcat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x5)
- Wildcats should not be kept as pets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x6)
- It might have been a wildcat prowling low on soft, stealthy feet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/#x7)

### Note

Countable; one word (wildcat), though "wild cat" in two words is fine for any wild cat. Trap: a feral cat is a pet cat gone wild, not a true wildcat.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wildcat» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wildcat/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wildcat» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wildcat.html) on Mova free.