squirrel

noun squir·rel \ ˈskwər(-ə)l , ˈskwə-rəl , chiefly British ˈskwir-əl \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of squirrel

plural squirrels also squirrel

1 :any of various small or medium-sized rodents (family Sciuridae, the squirrel family): such as

a :any of numerous New or Old World arboreal forms having a long bushy tail and strong hind legs

b :ground squirrel

2 :the fur of a squirrel

See squirrel defined for English-language learners

See squirrel defined for kids

Recent Examples of squirrel from the Web

Even wild animals, like these baby squirrels are being tended to.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "Hurricane Harvey Has Displaced Hundreds of Pets. Here’s How You Can Help," 29 Aug. 2017
For now, David is well enough to live in his own space, to watch the squirrels romp outside his window.

— maria l. la ganga, idahostatesman, "Couple earns $51,600. His long-term care takes $48,000. She digs in dumpsters for food.," 26 Aug. 2017
My parents ate squirrels and gathered coal chunks from the train tracks during the Depression.

— dana jennings, New York Times, "When a Comic Book Hillbilly and Milton Collide," 21 July 2017
Glankler was walking the elderly retriever on her property one day when a squirrel streaked by.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "This dog spent 9 months lost in the Idaho mountains. Here’s how she got home to Boise," 8 July 2017
Turkeys trot by, flying squirrels glide into trees, a coyote stalks a rooster pheasant.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Despite growing worries about the herd's health, the annual fall deer hunt continues as a family tradition," 6 July 2017
Unlike many of his more slapdash efforts, there's nothing cheap-looking in the tech work and the unabashed display of vulgarity, silly costumes and bosses dressed as flying squirrels.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Mole Song — Hong Kong Capriccio': Film Review | Shanghai 2017," 30 June 2017
Over the years, the Bordens have cremated iguanas, kangaroos, alpacas, deer, parakeets, squirrels, dogs, cats, goldfish, miniature ponies and more.

— tessa weinberg, The Courier-Journal, "$4000 pet funeral 'like therapy' for owners," 28 June 2017
He's found the bones of a woolly mammoth and other ice-age land animals during diving expeditions on the Atlantic Coast and is at work trying to find signs of extinct squirrel-like mammals that may have lived in the underwater forest.

— ben raines, NOLA.com, "Gulf's 60,000-year-old underwater forest spills its secrets in new documentary," 25 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of squirrel

Middle English squirel, from Anglo-French escurel, esquirel, from Vulgar Latin *scuriolus, diminutive of scurius, alteration of Latin *sciurus, from Greek skiouros, probably from skia shadow + oura tail — more at shine, ass

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

squirrel

verb

Definition of squirrel

squirreled or squirrelled; squirreling or squirrelling

transitive verb

:to store up for future use —often used with away

squirrel away some money

See squirrel defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of squirrel from the Web

Like many moms, Keating-Joseph squirreled away safely in boxes many childhood treasures of each of her four children.

— sheila vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Children's book honors Keating, a fallen hero," 17 Aug. 2017
Generally speaking, chaos — though mostly limited to those who use or squirrel away bitcoin.

— ryan nakashima, The Seattle Times, "AP Explains: Threat of a bitcoin split avoided, for now," 31 July 2017
Many citizens have greenbacks squirreled away from flusher times, and some multinational companies pay in hard currency.

— andrew rosati, Bloomberg.com, "The Manhattan of Venezuela Parties Against a Backdrop of Crisis," 19 July 2017
For sure, there are ways for households to squirrel money out.

— enda curran, Bloomberg.com, "Reasons You Shouldn’t Worry About Money Flowing Out of China," 3 July 2017
The Burgoo, a traditional Kentucky stew that can be made with mutton or even squirrel but at Keeneland is made with beef, sticks to the ribs and tickles the taste buds with hints of sherry and red wine.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Lexington, Kentucky," 30 June 2017
This man, who died in 2008 at age 66, had so much creativity and such a strong work ethic that squirreled away in his archives were completed manuscripts that he hadn’t even bothered to publish.

— david martindale, star-telegram, "Michael Crichton’s estate digs up a lost treasure: ‘Dragon Teeth’," 23 May 2017
Arthur, who lives in rural northern England, far from any airport or city, has enthusiastically squirreled away the cards, filling first one shoebox and then another.

— mark ellwood, CNT, "What I Learned from Traveling with My Godchildren," 13 May 2017
Part of the problem is HIV’s ability to squirrel itself away inside a cell’s DNA—including the DNA of the immune cells that are supposed to be killing it.

— nick stockton, WIRED, "How Crispr Could Snip Away Some of Humanity’s Worst Diseases," 5 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of squirrel

from the squirrel's habit of storing up gathered nuts and seeds for winter use

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1925

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SQUIRREL Defined for English Language Learners

squirrel

noun

Definition of squirrel for English Language Learners

: a small animal with a long tail and soft fur that lives in trees

SQUIRREL Defined for Kids

squirrel

noun squir·rel \ ˈskwər-əl \

Definition of squirrel for Students

:a small gnawing animal that is a rodent usually with a bushy tail and soft fur and strong hind legs used especially for leaping among tree branches

History for squirrel

When a squirrel sits up, its long tail curves up and over its head and sometimes casts a shadow. The English word squirrel comes ultimately from the Greek word for a squirrel, skiouros, which is thought to mean “shadow-tailed” (skia, “shadow,” plus oura, “tail”).