guinea pig
noun
1
: a small stout-bodied short-eared tailless domesticated rodent (Cavia porcellus) of South American origin often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research
called also cavy
2
: a subject of research, experimentation, or testing
Examples of guinea pig in a Sentence
He volunteered to act as a guinea pig in the experiment.
Recent Examples on the Web
These include vegetarianism, an aversion to plastic drinking straws, and the care and feeding of guinea pigs.
—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 20 May 2025
In a slightly less prestigious test, this WIRED guinea pig knocked 12 seconds off their 5km PR, running 17:41 at a London parkrun.
—Kieran Alger, Wired News, 7 May 2025
More adventurous diners can try Peruvian delicacies like guinea pig confit with Parmesan, corn, nutmeg, butter and cream, or the alpaca steak with Parmesan and baby carrots.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This is the first population-level analysis to establish a connection between heat exposure and epigenetic aging in humans, building on separate research finding similar changes in fish, mice and guinea pigs.
—Mohana Ravindranath, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guinea pig
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Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 20 May 2025
In a slightly less prestigious test, this WIRED guinea pig knocked 12 seconds off their 5km PR, running 17:41 at a London parkrun.
—Kieran Alger, Wired News, 7 May 2025
More adventurous diners can try Peruvian delicacies like guinea pig confit with Parmesan, corn, nutmeg, butter and cream, or the alpaca steak with Parmesan and baby carrots.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This is the first population-level analysis to establish a connection between heat exposure and epigenetic aging in humans, building on separate research finding similar changes in fish, mice and guinea pigs.
—Mohana Ravindranath, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guinea pig
Cite this Entry
“Guinea pig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guinea%20pig. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
guinea pig
noun
guin·ea pig
ˈgin-ē-ˌ 
: a small stout-bodied short-eared nearly tailless domesticated rodent of the genus Cavia (C. cobaya) often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research
called also cavy
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