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Definitions

hyena

[hahy-ee-nuh] / haɪˈi nə /


NOUN
scavenger
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After the vessel transporting his family from India to Canada sinks, Pi escapes to a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger—and his situation gets more complicated with each passing day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The brown hyena, the rarest of all hyena species, is primarily nocturnal and tends to live a solitary life.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Marin, who would end up voicing a hyena in the 1994 animated film, makes another braying donkey noise.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

While female-dominated hyena societies may not strike some as technically "queer," the same cannot be said of the countless male lions who spend most of their time in all-male groups called coalitions.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024

Sitting on a stool, with his elbow on the counter, was a man Malcolm had never seen before, and at his feet lay a hyena dæmon with one foreleg.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman