Illustration of weasel
- weasel 1
plural weasels
1
or plural weasel
: any of various small slender active carnivorous mammals (genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae, the weasel family) that are able to prey on animals (such as rabbits) larger than themselves, are mostly brown with white or yellowish underparts, and in northern forms turn white in winter compare ermine sense 1a
2
: a light self-propelled tracked vehicle built either for traveling over snow, ice, or sand or as an amphibious vehicle
3
: a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person
weaseled; weaseling
ˈwēz-liŋ 
ˈwē-zə-
1
: to use weasel words : equivocate
2
: to escape from or evade a situation or obligation
—often used with out
: to manipulate shiftily
Examples of weasel in a Sentence
Verb
the polite guest chose to weasel rather than admit that he didn't like the meal
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.
—Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
The pair cling to each other over the coming weeks despite R.C’s increasing mistrust of Peter and Jerry’s determination to weasel his way back into Agnes’ life.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for weasel
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Noun
Normally, during the warmer months, timber rattlesnakes feed on weasels and small rodents.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.
—Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Microsoft now feels that OpenAI is trying to weasel its way around this clause, with both companies’ lawyers fighting for weeks over the latter’s agreement with Amazon, sources told the FT.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
The pair cling to each other over the coming weeks despite R.C’s increasing mistrust of Peter and Jerry’s determination to weasel his way back into Agnes’ life.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for weasel
Cite this Entry
“Weasel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weasel. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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