marmot

noun

mar·mot | \ ˈmär-mət

Definition of marmot

: any of a genus (Marmota) of stout-bodied short-legged chiefly herbivorous burrowing rodents of the squirrel family that have coarse fur, a short bushy tail, and very small ears and that hibernate during the winter — compare woodchuck

Examples of marmot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People have lived amid the Alp's soaring peaks since prehistoric times, and the range is also home to some 13,000 types of plants, myriad minerals and crystals, and about 30,000 wildlife species that range from marmots to brown bears to snow fleas. — National Geographic, "Fun Facts About the Swiss and Italian Alps," 26 Mar. 2019 Raccoons, marmots, mice, and other small animals have been known to pilfer tasty morsels when given the chance. — Kraig Becker, Popular Mechanics, "How to Set Up Camp," 2 Apr. 2019 Higher up near the alpine regions, black pine yields to sheer granite and slate peaks, and chamois, ptarmigan, stoat and marmots peer curiously at visitors, while griffon vultures and golden eagles soar overhead. — Smithsonian, "Explore Catalonia’s Most Beautiful Nature Parks," 15 June 2018 This strategy works for birds, squirrels, deer, marmots, chipmunks, elk, moose, and bears, but sadly, not wolves. — Madeleine Trebenski, Outside Online, "Rules of the Trail for Terrible People," 1 July 2018 The first larkspur wildflower is showing up eight days earlier and the marmots are coming out of hibernation five days earlier, according to data gathered by the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab. — Seth Borenstein, Fox News, "Not just heat: Climate change signs can be seen all around," 19 June 2018 Dinner guests were reportedly pleased at how tender the marmot meat was when properly prepared, tasting like a cross between pork and chicken. — Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, "The truth about Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil is 131-year-old fake news," 2 Feb. 2018 In town, the greengrocer finds a fuzzy, marmot-like creature with elephantine ears in a crate of oranges. — Frances Leech, Longreads, "Forgetting the Madeleine," 3 May 2018 Your odds of seeing wild animals — ranging from arctic ground squirrels, marmots and Dall sheep to bears and moose — are good, considering the trail isn't as trafficked as others in the Chugach. — Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, "Make the most of your trip with these hikes near Anchorage," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marmot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Jun 2019

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The first known use of marmot was in 1607

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More Definitions for marmot

marmot

noun

English Language Learners Definition of marmot

: a small animal of America and Europe that has short legs and that lives in holes that it digs in the ground

See the full definition for marmot in the English Language Learners Dictionary

marmot

noun

mar·mot | \ ˈmär-mət

Kids Definition of marmot

: a stocky burrowing animal with short legs and a bushy tail that is related to the squirrels

marmot

noun

mar·mot | \ ˈmär-mət

Medical Definition of marmot

: any of various stout-bodied short-legged burrowing rodents (genus Marmota) with coarse fur, a short bushy tail, and very small ears that are important reservoirs of sylvatic plague