What Does “A Trip of Rabbits” Mean?
“Trip” is one of the older, more traditionally documented English collective nouns applied to rabbits, appearing in historical word lists alongside its use for goats, another small, quick, surefooted animal. As with goats, its exact linguistic root likely connects to an older sense of “trip” meaning to move nimbly or skip lightly, a fitting description of a rabbit’s fast, bounding gait across open ground.
Rabbits are built for exactly this kind of quick, unpredictable movement, powerful hind legs suited for explosive bursts of speed and sharp directional changes that make them notoriously difficult for predators to catch in open pursuit. That same nimble, bounding quality that likely earned goats their “trip” seems to fit rabbits just as naturally, which may be part of why the term ended up applied to both animals independently in older English usage.
Example: “A trip of rabbits bounded across the field, zigzagging just ahead of the fox.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Rabbits Called?