red squirrel

noun

: a common and widely distributed North American squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) that has reddish upper parts and is smaller than the gray squirrel

Examples of red squirrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Squirrel disease spreading outdoors Some suspected the squirrels carried squirrel pox, a rare virus in the US that often kills red squirrels. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025

Connecticut is home to several squirrel species, including the common eastern gray squirrel, the smaller red squirrel, and the nocturnal flying squirrel. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Apr. 2026

Both conditions are caused by viruses closely associated with squirrels, although squirrel pox is more common among red squirrels typically in the United Kingdom. — Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025

Craig Shuttleworth, a red squirrel expert at Bangor University in Wales, explained the appeal in an interview with the Telegraph. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for red squirrel

• deferral
• referral
• epidural
• postdoctoral
• predoctoral
• neral

Kids Definition

red squirrel

noun

: a common North American squirrel that has reddish upper parts and is smaller than the gray squirrel