squat

\ ˈskwät

How to pronounce squat (audio)

\

squatted; squatting

Definition of squat

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground

2 : to occupy as a squatter

intransitive verb

1 : to crouch close to the ground as if to escape observation a hare squatting in the grass

2a : to assume or maintain a position in which the body is supported on the feet and the knees are bent so that the buttocks rest on or near the heels squatted by the campfire

b : to exercise by performing a squat (see squat entry 3 sense 3a)

3 : to be or become a squatter squat in an abandoned building

squat

squatter; squattest

Definition of squat (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : sitting with the haunches close above the heels

2a : low to the ground

b : marked by disproportionate shortness or thickness

squat

Definition of squat (Entry 3 of 3)

1a : the act of squatting

b : the posture of one that squats

2a : a place where one squats

b : the lair of a small animal the squat of a hare

3a : an exercise in which a standing person lowers to a position in which the torso is erect and the knees are deeply bent and then rises to an upright position

Note: A squat can be done while holding weights, with a barbell on the upper back, or without weights.

b weight lifting : a lift involving a squat done while holding a barbell on the shoulders also : a competitive event involving this lift

4 chiefly British : an empty house or building that is occupied by squatters

5 slang : diddly-squat

Other Words from squat Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about squat

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Examples of squat in a Sentence

Verb He squatted behind the bush to avoid being seen. A family has been squatting in that house for months. Noun He didn't do squat all day. She lives in a squat.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Before the third inning started, Hernandez stepped off the back of the mound, squatted, took a couple of breaths and told himself not to let off the gas. — Dallas News, "Why Jonathan Hernandez could be the breakout star of the Rangers’ bullpen," 6 Mar. 2020 And the 2020 Tokyo Olympics squatting like the proverbial elephant in the room, in wait-and-see mode as everyone involved holds their collective breath and doesn’t shake hands. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: Are you worried about the Coronavirus? I'm overdoing the cautions.," 4 Mar. 2020 Integrating planks, push-ups, squats, and lunges into your indoor fitness routine will enhance your running efficiency. — Macy Sirmans, Travel + Leisure, "My Favorite Way to See a City Is by Running It — Here's How I'm Staying in Shape Until It’s Safe to Travel Again," 26 Apr. 2020 In one state, returning migrants were asked to squat on the road, and sprayed with a bleaching agent. — Sarita Santoshini, The Christian Science Monitor, "What a lockdown means when home is hundreds of miles away," 13 Apr. 2020 Every day since starting March 23, about five participants show up at the edge of their driveways — while maintaining social distancing — at 8 a.m. for 12 to 15 minutes of stretches, toe touches, marching in place, squats and skaters. — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Menomonee Falls woman leads daily driveway workouts for her neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic," 30 Mar. 2020 In the clip that went viral, residents could be seen squatting and doing jumping jacks from the safety of their homes. — Gabriel Kinder And Allie Torgan, CNN, "Compassion is alive and well as the world navigates the pandemic," 19 Mar. 2020 In a video shared to Instagram on Saturday, dozens of people in Seville, Spain, can be seen squatting and doing star-jumps on their balconies as a man wearing sportswear and sunglasses motivates them from a platform below. — Washington Post, "During quarantine, balconies worldwide set the stage for DJ sets, squats and singing," 16 Mar. 2020 Once on property, guests meet their guides and can undergo a functional movement screening (squats and awkward hurdle steps clock balance and asymmetry) and bioelectrical impedance analysis, which measures muscle mass and hydration level. — Rebecca Misner, Condé Nast Traveler, "Hawaii's Best Wellness Retreat Is Nowhere Near the Beach," 10 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Tight end Jeremy Ruckert, also in the greater New York metro area, built a squat rack out of wood with his father, Bill. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Ohio State football strength coach Mickey Marotti on the challenge during COVID-19, and the one that awaits," 13 May 2020 But stuffing a squat rack, an exercise bench, and a complete set of free weights into your home is expensive—both in money and space. — Harry Guinness, Popular Science, "Everything you need for a basic home gym," 13 May 2020 Outside, the squat brick buildings of south Brooklyn stretch for miles. — Anchorage Daily News, "In the ICU, health-care workers with little to offer covid-19 patients soldier on," 5 Apr. 2020 That is the quandary facing Kathleen Luton, who was waiting for Kabia in an examination room in a squat county office building in Silver Spring. — David Montgomery, Washington Post, "The Doctors Still Treating Everything Else," 31 Mar. 2020 In a squat, gray building in a corner of Green-Wood's idyllic, 478-acre cemetery, two operators work from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., cremating the bodies. — Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, "'It's carnage': Crematoriums run around the clock to meet demand from deadly coronavirus," 20 Apr. 2020 Then people started dying A steady flow of Del Monte Market regulars — farmworkers, immigrants and people who grew up in South Phoenix and Laveen — enter the faded, squat brick building. — Dianna M. Náñez, azcentral, "'Do they want us to go hungry?': No relief checks for undocumented workers. Here's why," 10 Apr. 2020 The decision made a kind of sense, considering the rules of my life up till then, and considering how my dad was found: a few days after his death, decomposing on the couch of his office, in a squat gray building in Albany, California. — C Pam Zhang, The New Yorker, "When Your Inheritance Is to Look Away," 7 Apr. 2020 All those people, plus a small fleet of delivery drivers, squeeze themselves into a squat building with suspect parking on Northeast Sandy Boulevard each weekday (a Hillsboro location opened in 2018). — oregonlive, "Portland’s 40 best inexpensive restaurants," 11 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Land softly, immediately lower into another squat, and repeat. — Hayden Carpenter, Outside Online, "An Alpinist's Do-Anywhere Bodyweight Workout," 6 Apr. 2020 The action springs the left fielder from his squat, and the man’s metal spikes tear into the turf, kicking up tiny wedges of grass, sending them toward the sky. — New York Times, "‘The Cactus League,’ by Emily Nemens: An Excerpt," 3 Feb. 2020 Harvard-Westlake coach Aaron Huerta had his 31 players do 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats and 100 lunges over a Zoom call. — Los Angeles Times, "Harvard-Westlake to face Brooklyn Poly Prep Country Day in virtual sports competition," 16 Apr. 2020 Families, couples, and singles — a packed house — all perched on their own balconies followed her through a series of squats, lunges, and stretches. — Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, "New Yorkers Are Singing From Rooftops, Getting Hitched From Windows, and Exercising Together on Balconies to Stay Connected During Coronavirus," 8 Apr. 2020 Top scorers are invited back to USA Bobsled & Skeleton rookie camp in Lake Placid, where they are tested on the squat and power clean. — Jay Willis, GQ, "How to Make an Olympic Bobsledder," 16 Feb. 2018 Turn it down: Haven’t quite mastered a two-legged squat yet? — Mallory Creveling, Health.com, "The Best Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do at Home," 15 Apr. 2020 The second movement is the lunge (Figure B), which trains the same muscles as the squat but challenges balance more. — Colin Hoobler, oregonlive, "Try these 5 exercises to help stay active and healthy during isolation," 31 Mar. 2020 There are distracting detours, such as one involving the retrieval of the daughter of a Fleet Street editor (Eddie Marsan) from a sordid drug squat, but otherwise the tale pretty much stays on track. — Michael O'sullivan, Houston Chronicle, "Guy Ritchie returns to his raunchy roots in ‘The Gentlemen’," 22 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'squat.' 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

18 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Squat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squat. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for squat

squat

verb

English Language Learners Definition of squat

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to bend your knees and lower your body so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels

: to live in a building or on land without the owner's permission and without paying

squat

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of squat (Entry 2 of 3)

: short and thick

squat

noun

English Language Learners Definition of squat (Entry 3 of 3)

: a position in which your knees are bent and your body lowered so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels

US slang : the least amount : anything at all

chiefly British : an empty building that squatters live in

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

squat

\ ˈskwät

\

squatted; squatting

Kids Definition of squat

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : to crouch by bending the knees fully so as to sit on or close to the heels

2 : to settle without any right on land that someone else owns

3 : to settle on government land in order to become its owner

squat

squatter; squattest

Kids Definition of squat (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : low to the ground

2 : having a short thick body

squat

Kids Definition of squat (Entry 3 of 3)

: a position in which the knees are fully bent and the body sits on or close to the heels

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