wildcat Hear it!

wildcat Definition

wild·cat (wīld′kat′)

noun pl. -·cats′ or -·cat′

    1. any of a large group of fierce, medium-sized, undomesticated cats, including the bobcat, Canada lynx, ocelot, serval, and caracal
    2. a house cat that has escaped from domestication
  2. any person regarded as like a wildcat in fierceness, aggressiveness, etc.
  3. ☆ an unsound or risky business scheme
  4. ☆ an oil well drilled in an area not previously known to have oil
  5. Naut. a drum on a windlass, constructed to engage the links of a chain cable

adjective

  1. ☆ unsound or financially risky a wildcat venture
  2. ☆ designating or of an enterprise or undertaking that is illegal, unethical, irregular, unauthorized, etc.; specif., designating a labor strike not officially authorized by the union representing the strikers and in violation of a contract

intransitive verb -·cat′·ted, -·cat′·ting

  1. to drill for oil in an area previously considered unproductive
  2. to engage in wildcat enterprises, etc.

wildcat Related Forms
☆ wild′·cat′·ter noun
wildcat Synonyms

wildcat

modif.

illegal, unsound, speculative, risky, illegitimate, unsafe, unsecured, unauthorized.

Antonyms legal*, legitimate*, authorized.

wildcat Synonyms

wildcat

n.

mountain lion, bobcat, cougar, Canada lynx, ocelot, cerval, caracal.

wildcat Usage Examples

Object

  • fan: July evaluation period wildcats fans who laughed you don't of establishing personal.

Converse of object

  • include: Get your cat vaccinated to avoid unnecessary suffering both to itself and also to other individuals including any local wildcats.

Adjective modifier

  • Scottish: She is also sponsoring a short documentary on Scottish wildcats by a small film company based in Kent.
  • African: I cannot imagine how the system worked but it is well documented; were African wildcats so compliant?
  • pure: Since 1988 pure wildcats are protected from persecution under the 1981 Wildlife & Countryside Act.
  • local: Catford Originally a farming area, Catford got its name from the local wildcats which used to cross the river at this site.
  • other: Meanwhile, at the other end Wildcats still could not find the basket.

Modifies a noun

  • strike: Continue Reading Add comment Taxi drivers cause chaos with wildcat strikes By Web Editor.
  • action: The wildcat strike action was in response to management bullying.
  • walkout: This has been in evidence in recent disputes, most impressively the postal workers ' wildcat walkouts late last year.
  • exploration: There are opportunities for wildcat exploration in both genuine frontier areas such as the Atlantic Margin and in the more mature North Sea basins.
  • VP: Wildcat VP supports the emerging high-level shading languages, such as OpenGL 2.0.