marmot

noun

mar·​mot ˈmär-mət 

: 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

Illustration of marmot

Examples of marmot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hours later, after dodging cow patties the size of dinner plates and gaping holes leading to marmot burrows, the locations are chosen and the traps are set. —Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025

Seeing that marmot offshoot with his twitchy little nose and beady eyes, clutched by an obscure local bureaucrat, conjures hope for the year to come. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025

Expect to marvel at saddles blanketed in blueberries and multi-hued wildflowers, marmots trilling their warnings, ibex perched on rocky spines, and neon critters that wiggle and hop underfoot. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Don’t let pets off the leash or get near wildlife Your Chihuahua may look like prey to a coyote, while your rottweiler may terrify a yellow-bellied marmot. —Ruffin Prevost, AFAR Media, 18 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French marmotte

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

marmot

noun

mar·​mot ˈmär-mət 

: any of a genus of burrowing rodents with a stout body, short legs, coarse fur, a short bushy tail, and very small ears compare woodchuck

Medical Definition

marmot

noun

mar·​mot ˈmär-mət 

: 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