squat

1 of 3

verb

ˈskwät 

squatted; squatting

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

2

a

: 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

2 of 3

adjective

squatter; squattest

1

: sitting with the haunches close above the heels

2

a

: low to the ground

squat bushes

b

: marked by disproportionate shortness or thickness

a squat building

squatly adverb

squatness noun

squat

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the act of squatting

b

: the posture of one that squats

2

a

: a place where one squats

b

: the lair of a small animal

the squat of a hare

3

a

: 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

Synonyms of squat

Verb

• crouch

Adjective

• stout
• squatty
• plump
• sturdy
• stocky
• stumpy

Noun

• damn
• lick
• whit
• hoot
• shred

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.

Adjective

a short, squat woman

Noun

He didn't do squat all day.

She lives in a squat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The venue was a blockish and forbidding space called Magazine, which squats in a loop of the Thames, in southeast London. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Across eight episodes, the roles and community of women, people of color and even those disabled by the war are explored within storylines about class politics, frontier corruption and land squatting on the Osage Reserve. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026

Adjective

It was modeled after canal packet boats of yore, which were squat and flat-roofed to fit beneath the low railroad bridges that crossed the canal. — Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026

An example might be holding a squat position and then doing sets of small pulses. — Hannah Harper, Health, 1 July 2026

Noun

The single-leg squat to knee hug and lunge targets single-leg stability, single-leg glute and hamstring activation and stability in a split-squat lunge. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Bend your knees to squat, then place your palms on the ground in front of your feet. — Jenessa Connor, Health, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English squatten to crush, crouch in hiding, from Middle French (Picard dialect) esquatir, escuater, from Old French es- ex- + quatir to hide, from Vulgar Latin *coactire to squeeze, alteration of Latin coactare to compel — more at cache

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing squat

• diddly squat
• doodley-squat
• doodly-squat

Rhymes for squat

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Kids Definition

squat

1 of 3 verb

ˈskwät 

squatted; squatting

1

: to sit or cause (oneself) to sit on one's heels

2

: to occupy land as a squatter

3

: to crouch close to the ground

a hare squatting in the grass

squat

2 of 3 noun

1

: the act of squatting

2

: a squatting posture

squat

3 of 3 adjective

squatter; squattest

1

: being in a squatting posture

2

: low to the ground

3

: being short and thick

squatly adverb

squatness noun