tree fox

noun

The gray fox.

Meanings

nountree fox (plural tree foxes)

plural tree foxes

  1. The gray fox.

    The Gray fox of North and South America can grow nearly as big as the Red fox. It is also known as the Tree fox because it has the habit of climbing trees. It often sleeps in trees.

    1988, O'Toole, Christopher; Stidworthy, John, 1943-, Mammals, New York: Facts on File, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC
    2 more examples

    One of the gray fox's nicknames is "tree fox," since it often climbs up leaning trees. It likes to take a nap on the low branches. Gray foxes have been seen in trees eating eggs or young birds out of their nests.

    1983, Ahlstrom, Mark E; Schroeder, Howard, The foxes, Mankato, MN: Crestwood House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC

    The gray fox has grayish fur on its back. It has reddish, white, and black fur on other parts of its body. It's sometimes called a tree fox. It's the only fox that can climb trees! It climbs to escape enemies.

    2013, Zubek, Adeline, Foxes in the dark, New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Pub., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

Named in reference to its ability to climb trees.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tree fox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tree%20fox

MLA

“tree fox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tree%20fox. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tree fox,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tree%20fox.

Source: tree fox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.