hyena /haɪˈiːnə/ noun2 •Any of the medium-sized to large feliform carnivores of the family Hyaenidae, native to Africa and Asia and noted for the sound similar to laughter which they can make if excited.I took no systematic data on the costs to cheetahs and hyenas, but some anecdotes suggest that both parties took numerical advantage and hunger into account. — 1994 •A man that performs ritualized sex acts with recently widowed women and menarchal girls. formshyenae · hyenas