Meaning & use
furbaby
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A pet that someone loves and cares for like a child.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a furbaby' or 'furbabies' in the plural.
Patterns
- someone's furbaby
- a furbaby parent
She calls her dog her furbaby and takes him everywhere.
Many young couples treat their cats as furbabies before having children.
My furbaby needs a new bed because he has grown so much.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A person who is very attached to their pet and treats it like a child.
Grammar: Often used in the plural 'furbabies' to refer to such people collectively.
Patterns
- be a furbaby
- furbabies and their pets
He's such a furbaby that he won't go on holiday without his dog.
The cafe is full of furbabies and their well-behaved pets.
As a furbaby, she spends more on her cat's food than on her own.
Word forms
| plural | furbabies |
|---|
Common combinations
- furbaby parent
- Furbaby parents often share photos of their pets online.
- furbaby love
- There's a special kind of furbaby love that only pet owners understand.
- a furbaby's birthday
- They threw a party for their furbaby's birthday.
- furbaby-friendly
- The hotel is furbaby-friendly and welcomes small dogs.
- furbaby care
- Good furbaby care includes regular vet visits.
- furbaby mom
- She proudly calls herself a furbaby mom to two rescue cats.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pet
- Neutral and general; use 'pet' in formal contexts, and 'furbaby' only when you want to sound affectionate or playful.
- companion animal
- More formal and technical, often used in official or veterinary contexts; 'furbaby' is emotional and informal.
- animal companion
- Similar to 'companion animal' but slightly warmer; still more formal than 'furbaby'.
Word family
- furparent noun
- A person who cares for a pet like a child; a related informal term.
- fur kid noun
- Another informal term for a pet treated as a child; similar in tone to 'furbaby'.
Commonly confused: furbaby or fur baby?
furbaby vs fur baby
Often written as two words; the one-word form 'furbaby' is also common, especially online.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'furbaby' correctly and naturally.
Choose one answer.
Option 0 uses 'furbaby' as a countable noun for a pet, which is the standard use. Option 1 wrongly uses it as a verb. Option 2 invents a past-tense verb form that does not exist. Option 3 uses 'furbaby' for a house, which does not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “furbaby”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.