Dictionary definition · wildcat
noun
- an exploratory oil well drilled in land not known to be an oil field
- a cruelly rapacious person
- any small or medium-sized cat resembling the domestic cat and living in the wild
adjective
- outside the bounds of legitimate or ethical business practices"wildcat currency issued by irresponsible banks"
- without official authorization"an unauthorized strike"
- (of a mine or oil well) drilled speculatively in an area not known to be productive"drilling there would be strictly a wildcat operation"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).