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Definition of hairball

hairball

/ˈhɛərˌbɔːl/
hair · ball
Plural:hairballs
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hairball Lexical Profile

hairball Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A small, compact mass of hair or fur that accumulates in the stomach or digestive tract of an animal (especially a cat) as a result of self-grooming and is typically coughed up or vomited.

Example

"The veterinarian recommended brushing our long-haired cat daily to help prevent him from developing a hairball."

2

A densely tangled, overly complicated, or disorganized mess, especially in reference to computer code, network diagrams, or administrative procedures (informal).

Example

"Attempting to map every single hyperlink across the entire domain resulted in an unreadable visual hairball on the monitor."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for hairball

• Rhymes for hairball

• Nearby Words

hailstorm
haiphong
hair
hairball
hairband
hairbrush
haircut

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Hairball. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/hairball
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