squirrel

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

Definition of squirrel

plural

squirrels

also

squirrel

1 : any of various small or medium-sized rodents (family Sciuridae, the squirrel family): such asa : any of numerous New or Old World arboreal forms having a long bushy tail and strong hind legsb : 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

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
Stud of the Week • Joey the Squirrel: The pet squirrel from Idaho, who gained fame for attacking a burglar, was released into the wild.

— david whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trump not making golf etiquette great again," 24 June 2017
In the United States, most cases of typhus have come from exposure to flying squirrels.

— lisa sanders, m.d., New York Times, "How a Joke About Flying Squirrels Led to an Ailing Woman’s Cure," 22 June 2017
Species common to the plantation include Whitetail deer (30+ years of trophy management), Eastern Turkey, Wild hogs, Bob Cats, Coyote and small game such as squirrels, rabbits, opossum and armadillo.

— joe songer | jsonger@al.com, AL.com, "The greatest outdoor adventure you can have in each Alabama county," 22 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 squir·rel

Definition of squirrel

squirreled

squirrelled

;

squirreling

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

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
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

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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

play

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”).