squirrel

1 of 2

noun

squir·​rel ˈskwər(-ə)l 

ˈskwə-rəl,

 chiefly British  ˈskwir-əl

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

squirrel

2 of 2

verb

squirreled or squirrelled; squirreling or squirrelling

transitive verb

: to store up for future use

—often used with away

squirrel away some money

Synonyms

Verb

• cache
• hoard
• lay away
• lay by
• lay in
• lay up
• put by
• salt away
• stash
• stockpile
• store
• stow
• treasure

Examples of squirrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

They are themselves known to be consumed by squirrels and birds. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023

In recent years, these opportunistic feeders have been documented gulping down squirrels, swallowing rats, and devouring pigeons whole. —Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 10 Aug. 2023

The park scientists plan to monitor squirrels and woodpeckers to see how each species fares over the coming years, said Roland. —Yereth Rosen, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Aug. 2023

There’s a clip of someone, whose voice some are guessing is Kendall Jenner’s, chasing a squirrel. —Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2023

The 29-pound cat, Nova, was captured hours later, after a squirrel’s chattering helped employees find her. —Isabella Volmert, Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2023

In the spring, Riana Shaw Robinson learned that her 11-year-old son, Madison, had sprinted out of class to chase a squirrel through his school’s courtyard in Berkeley, California. —Christina Caron, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023

More:Neal Rubin: Behind scenes at DTE: Progress and a riveting past, but watch for squirrels Gasoline production dropped nationwide, with the largest drop by West Coast refineries. —Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 31 July 2023

Natural bristles are sourced from animal fur (squirrels, sables, goats, etc.), which can be difficult to acquire and more labor-intensive — thus, the higher price tag. —Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 13 July 2023

Verb

Freelancers, aware of this, try to squirrel some of their fees away throughout the year to see them through to March, when productions start crewing up again. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 25 May 2023

When news of a young boy being abducted from Brooklyn starts to make the rounds on the news, Inez squirrels the boy away in a rented room and gets him some fake papers. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023

Many were able to squirrel away more during the pandemic when shops, hospitality and entertainment venues were closed. —Tom Rees, Bloomberg.com, 11 Feb. 2023

The student loan moratorium put in place in March 2020 has had a number of benefits: Many federal student loan borrowers were able to squirrel away more savings, pay down other forms of debt, make on-time payment for monthly bills, and some even saw a boost in their credit scores. —Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2022

Essentially, boosting margins allows companies to squirrel away more capital. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2023

More than 35,000 people have helped observe and classify squirrel coat color with SquirrelMapper. —Brielle Fischman, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2021

For others, income may not keep pace with rising costs, leaving them less to squirrel away. —Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022

These ongoing opportunities to squirrel away cash can lead to positive outcomes. —Elizabeth Rivelli, Car and Driver, 15 Nov. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing squirrel

• gray squirrel
• red squirrel
• ground squirrel
• squirrel monkey
• squirrel corn
• flying squirrel
• squirrel away
• squirrel rifle
• squirrel cage

• gray squirrel
• red squirrel
• ground squirrel
• squirrel monkey
• squirrel corn
• flying squirrel
• squirrel away
• squirrel rifle
• squirrel cage

See More

Kids Definition

squirrel

1 of 2 noun

squir·​rel ˈskwər(-ə)l 

ˈskwə-rəl

plural squirrels also squirrel

1

: any of various small or medium-sized rodents

especially : one with a long bushy tail and strong hind legs used especially for leaping from tree branch to tree branch

2

: the fur of a squirrel

squirrel

2 of 2 verb

squirreled or squirrelled; squirreling or squirrelling

: to store up for future use

—often used with away

squirreled away all his spare change

Etymology

Noun

Middle English squirel "squirrel," from early French esquirel (same meaning), derived from Latin sciurus (same meaning), from Greek skiouros "squirrel," from skia "shadow" and oura "tail"

Word Origin

When a squirrel sits up to eat or to look around, it often raises its bushy tail up against its back and over its head as if to shade itself. The ancient Greeks noticed this habit, and they called the animal skiouros. This word was made up of skia, meaning "shadow," and oura, "tail." The Romans turned this into the Latin word sciurus, which made its way into early French as esquirel. English squirrel was borrowed from the French.