woodchuck

noun

wood·​chuck ˈwu̇d-ˌchək 

: a grizzled thickset marmot (Marmota monax) chiefly of Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern U.S.

called also groundhog

Examples of woodchuck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The openings are small enough to keep out most large rodents like woodchucks and rabbits (two of the most destructive pests). —Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 5 Feb. 2026

While the rodents might be hibernating, there's no need to worry about woodchucks called upon for winter forecasting duties on Groundhog Day since they aren't necessarily being unnaturally stirred from their natural processes. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026

The groundwork has been laid for a sunrise ceremony Monday when international woodchuck celebrity Punxsutawney Phil’s annual long-term weather forecast will be announced — six more weeks of winter or an early spring. —Mark Scolforo, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026

Nick Neeley on Thoreau, Dillard, and the noble woodchuck. —Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from a word of Algonquian origin; akin to Narragansett ockqutchaun woodchuck

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for woodchuck

• amok
• amuck
• awestruck
• dumbstruck
• potluck
• roebuck
• unstuck
• chuck
• cluck
• duck
• huck
• luck

Kids Definition

woodchuck

noun

wood·​chuck -ˌchək 

: a stocky marmot mostly of Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern U.S.

called also groundhog