squat

1 of 3

verb

squatted; squatting

transitive verb

1
: to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground
2
: to occupy as a squatter

intransitive verb

1
: to crouch close to the ground as if to escape observation
a hare squatting in the grass
2
a
: to assume or maintain a position in which the body is supported on the feet and the knees are bent so that the buttocks rest on or near the heels
squatted by the campfire
b
: to exercise by performing a squat (see squat entry 3 sense 3a)
3
: to be or become a squatter
squat in an abandoned building

squat

2 of 3

adjective

squatter; squattest
1
: sitting with the haunches close above the heels
2
a
: low to the ground
b
: marked by disproportionate shortness or thickness
squatly adverb
squatness noun

squat

3 of 3

noun

1
a
: the act of squatting
b
: the posture of one that squats
2
a
: a place where one squats
b
: the lair of a small animal
the squat of a hare
3
a
: an exercise in which a standing person lowers to a position in which the torso is erect and the knees are deeply bent and then rises to an upright position

Note: A squat can be done while holding weights, with a barbell on the upper back, or without weights.

b
weight lifting : a lift involving a squat done while holding a barbell on the shoulders
also : a competitive event involving this lift
4
chiefly British : an empty house or building that is occupied by squatters
5
slang : diddly-squat

Examples of squat in a Sentence

Verb He squatted behind the bush to avoid being seen. A family has been squatting in that house for months. Noun He didn't do squat all day. She lives in a squat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The performers do squatting exercises to prepare for some of their movements during the show. Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 In this photo, the rapper squats down looking over his shoulder and down at his arm, which is now almost fully covered in ink. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 Faces turned away, gripping the basket handles, and squatting down as we near the ground. Branded Content Contributor, Orange County Register, 8 Jan. 2024 Brahim is squatting directly in front of him at his head with his hand holding firmly onto the halter close to his mouth, bringing his head low to the sand. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 The judges said the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment prohibits cities from arresting or imposing penalties on homeless people for squatting on public property if there aren’t enough shelter beds for every vagrant. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024 In 2011, David Zellner released Sasquatch Birth Journal 2, a short film that observed the hairy creature giving birth while squatting on a tree. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024 Try 3-5 weight slams while squatting and jumping from each side of the gym. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 6 Feb. 2024 Armstrong had dropped out of high school, squatting in various punk warehouses around the East Bay until the band took off. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Refuge of the roads A squat white building housed the restaurant. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Behind a tall rock wall, the campus was a lovely oasis: ibises flew around acacia trees that were scattered among a series of small, squat buildings with red tile roofs, each housing a couple of grades. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Another tactic, the French activist recounted, to communicate that outsiders are not welcome: tribespeople turn around and squat as if to defecate. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 For nearly a century, The Original Mexican Eats Cafe called this squat building at 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 Two immense towers, which looked as though they’d been erected from squat blocks of cookie dough, loomed above her. David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024 By 1958, the restaurant needed a larger space and moved into its current location, a squat white building with a red tile roof two blocks away, on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Fulton Avenue. Bill Esparza, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 In downtown Boston, much of the life sciences infrastructure is clustered within the Seaport District, which until just a few years ago was largely parking lots and squat industrial buildings. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 Aiyuk blossomed physically, increasing his squat lifts from 250 to 500 pounds in two years. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
Noun
His car then was an old Volkswagen Beetle with no rear seat, and Rich always sat up front next to Brent, leaving Irene to squat in the back on the seat frame as Brent drove faster and faster along hilly back roads. David Finkel, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2024 An emerging cottage industry of hustlers who make money coaching other people on how to squat and prosper with AI content appears to be expanding fast, says Lily Ray of Amsive. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024 Really, the only way to tell that this dilapidated structure – Building 4442, one of row upon row of such squat, khaki, standard-issue sandstone units at the heart of Fort Ord – once served as a proud and invaluable purpose are the murals that remain. Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 The leggings remain opaque when moving, even while stretching or bending over to squat. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024 The 54-inch broom easily reached the other side of the table without requiring us to squat. Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2024 In fact, this squat variation hits your quads a little more than the back squat does. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 8 Dec. 2023 The high waist is very flattering and comfortable, and the fabric is really stretchy but still thick enough to perform during a squat and not be sheer or see-through. Dana Leigh Smith, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2023 Upon shifting into a squat and lining up behind the plate, though, the catcher’s tone changed. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English squatten to crush, crouch in hiding, from Middle French (Picard dialect) esquatir, escuater, from Old French es- ex- + quatir to hide, from Vulgar Latin *coactire to squeeze, alteration of Latin coactare to compel — more at cache

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of squat was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near squat

Cite this Entry

“Squat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

squat

1 of 3 verb
squatted; squatting
1
: to sit or cause (oneself) to sit on one's heels
2
: to occupy land as a squatter
3
: to crouch close to the ground
a hare squatting in the grass

squat

2 of 3 noun
1
: the act of squatting
2
: a squatting posture

squat

3 of 3 adjective
squatter; squattest
1
: being in a squatting posture
2
: low to the ground
3
: being short and thick
squatly adverb
squatness noun

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