noun
jackal
JA-kuhl
noun
1
A wild, dog-like animal related to wolves, native to Africa and parts of Asia, typically smaller than a wolf.
"A pack of jackals circled the carcass left by the lions."
2
A person who does someone else's dirty work, especially in an opportunistic or unscrupulous way.
"The dictator relied on a network of jackals to silence critics."
How to Use Jackal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA wild wolf-like scavenger animal, or (figuratively) someone who preys on others or does dirty work for a stronger party.
Common pairings
pack of jackals
act like a jackal
Word Forms
jackaled past tense, jackalled past tense, jackals plural, jackals singular
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Etymology
Passed into English through French "chacal", ultimately from Persian "šaġâl", itself from an ancient Sanskrit word for the animal.