plural stoats also stoat
: the common ermine (Mustela erminea) chiefly of northern Eurasia and North America that is brown above and white below in summer and in its northern range all white in winter and that ranges from 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters) in length including a black-tipped tail that is usually 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches (3.8 to 9 centimeters) long : ermine sense 1a, short-tailed weasel
Examples of stoat in a Sentence
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That personality and deadly skill set has not endeared stoats to humans, who have traditionally viewed them as vicious or even uncanny.
—
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Drawings of Tina the stoat, the Olympic mascot, and her brother Milo, the Paralympic mascot, were designed by students of the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna, according to the Olympics.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The little animals that will come to be emblematic of the 2026 Games are stoats, extremely cute critters that in real life are related to the weasel and the otter.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
The country's bird population was decimated when settlers moved in hundreds of years ago, bringing invasive species such as stoats, a relative of ferrets, rats and similar mammals.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
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Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Drawings of Tina the stoat, the Olympic mascot, and her brother Milo, the Paralympic mascot, were designed by students of the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna, according to the Olympics.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The little animals that will come to be emblematic of the 2026 Games are stoats, extremely cute critters that in real life are related to the weasel and the otter.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
The country's bird population was decimated when settlers moved in hundreds of years ago, bringing invasive species such as stoats, a relative of ferrets, rats and similar mammals.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stoat
Cite this Entry
“Stoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoat. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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stoat
noun
: a common ermine of northern regions especially in its brown summer coat
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