SINCE 1828
ground squirrel
nounDefinition of ground squirrel
: 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
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The Columbian ground squirrel, for example, has begun emerging from hibernation later, and has been weaker as a result. — Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, "The Changing Climate Inside the World’s Largest Bat Colony," 6 Aug. 2019 At a picnic table, Wayne set up the book, and then with some pistachios, baited in a ground squirrel (which looks like a chipmunk with the stripes on its sides, but without stripes on its head). — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "At summer campsite, cute squirrels can go rogue," 9 July 2018 High soil moisture can help reproductive success for rodents, including mice, gophers and ground squirrels — rattlesnakes’ main food sources. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Rattlesnake season is here. Be prepared.," 28 June 2019 Coyotes, bobcats, grey foxes, and mountain lions, along with deer, tule elk, wild pigs, turkeys, quails, doves, rabbits, ground squirrels, and raccoons can be found on the huge ranch, along with an array of birds. — George Avalos, The Mercury News, "51,000-acre Bay Area cattle ranch goes up for sale," 9 July 2019 While there, don’t miss the incredible cactus garden, the hummingbird exhibit, and our all-time favorite, the hugely entertaining ground squirrels. — Sunset, "Tucson Just Became Our Favorite Weekend Getaway Ever. Here’s Why.," 22 Jan. 2018 The ground squirrel darted up to the table, grabbed his keys and scampered into his hole. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "At summer campsite, cute squirrels can go rogue," 9 July 2018 California has several squirrel-like critters: the gray squirrel, Douglas squirrel, ground squirrel, chipmunk and chickaree. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "At summer campsite, cute squirrels can go rogue," 9 July 2018 In 2015 and 2016, plague was identified in ground squirrels. — Christina Lords, idahostatesman, "SW Idaho cat infected in problem area known for previous plague cases," 26 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ground squirrel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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