ground squirrel

noun

: any of various burrowing North American and Eurasian rodents (especially genus Spermophilus) of the squirrel family that often live in colonies especially in open areas (such as grasslands)

called also spermophile

Examples of ground squirrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And while squirrels may seem like everyday backyard neighbors, some native species, including the California ground squirrel, have been declining for decades. —Itay Hod, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

And other animals, such as ground squirrels, enter an extended form of torpor known as true hibernation. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Mar. 2026

The most extreme example might be the Arctic ground squirrel, which hibernates up to eight months per year and lowers its body temperature to 27 degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest of any mammal. —Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 11 Feb. 2026

The largest ground squirrel in its range, groundhogs like Phil are found throughout the midwestern United States, most of Canada and into southern Alaska. —Steven Sullivan, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ground squirrel

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

Kids Definition

ground squirrel

noun

: any of numerous burrowing rodents (as gophers and chipmunks) that differ from true squirrels in having cheek pouches and shorter fur