stoat

noun

plural stoats also stoat
: the common ermine (Mustela erminea) chiefly of northern Eurasia and North America that is brown above and white below in summer and in its northern range all white in winter and that ranges from 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters) in length including a black-tipped tail that is usually 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches (3.8 to 9 centimeters) long : ermine sense 1a, short-tailed weasel

Examples of stoat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other predators, such as rats, possums, stoats, ferrets, and feral cats, were later brought by European settlers. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2023 In a country with no native terrestrial mammals, the birds were declared extinct in 1898 after invasive stoats and other animals introduced by British settlers had devastated local bird populations. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Jan. 2024 That changed in the 13th century, when Māori voyagers brought rats and dogs, and again in the 19th century, when European settlers brought more rats, cats and mustelids like weasels, stoats and ferrets. Rina Diane Caballar, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 Knowing this, conservationists worked with 100 landowners across the bird’s 60,000-acre habitat to install 4,600 stoat traps. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023 But last year, following a half-decade effort to reduce stoat and rat numbers, dozens of kiwis were reintroduced to the hilly farmlands of Makara. Pete McKenzie, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023 Starting in the 1800s, millions were slaughtered by nonnative predators like stoats, a mammal related to the weasel. Pete McKenzie, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023 There was more ermine (a stoat, in its white winter coat) added. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 June 2023 New Zealand has set an ambitious goal of eradicating by 2050 all nonnative pests — including feral cats, weasel-like stoats, possums, rats and mice — that have decimated much of its unique fauna. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stoat.' 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

Middle English stote

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near stoat

Cite this Entry

“Stoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stoat

noun
: a common ermine of northern regions especially in its brown summer coat
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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