squirrel

1 of 2

noun

squir·​rel ˈskwər(-ə)l How to pronounce squirrel (audio)
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
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

Examples of squirrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jensen Breed: Lab mix Age: 3 Jensen is a loyal, goofy sidekick who is up for hanging out at home, going for long walks or leading the squirrel patrol in the backyard. Stephanie Baillargeon-McCurry and, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 An amoeba probably doesn’t have it; a squirrel likely has some. Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The old walled community once thrived trading squirrel skins and beeswax, and to this day small fishing vessels make regular runs between the isle and the mainland, a distance of about 56 miles. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2024 However, the state does have prairie dogs, which are grassland squirrels found in the Western U.S. and Mexico. Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2024 Turns out thirsty squirrels killed those plants in 2020 while digging up roots for moisture. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 This plushy squirrel toy can be filled and refilled with catnip to keep your feline entertained. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 Their pets, a squirrel and chihuahua, also died at the scene. Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2024 Every squirrel has a science story to tell, but, sadly, squirrels vastly outnumber squirrel scientists. Scistarter Team, Discover Magazine, 21 Jan. 2024
Verb
Every squirrel has a science story to tell, but, sadly, squirrels vastly outnumber squirrel scientists. Scistarter Team, Discover Magazine, 21 Jan. 2024 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 examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squirrel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of squirrel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near squirrel

Cite this Entry

“Squirrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squirrel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

squirrel

1 of 2 noun
squir·​rel ˈskwər(-ə)l How to pronounce squirrel (audio)
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.

More from Merriam-Webster on squirrel

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