squats; squatted; squatting
1
: to bend your knees and lower your body so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels
He squatted behind the bush to avoid being seen.
a squatting position [=a position in which you are squatting]
—often + downShe squatted down to pick up the paper.
2
: to live in a building or on land without the owner's permission and without paying
A family has been squatting in that house for months.
plural squats
1
: a position in which your knees are bent and your body lowered so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels
2
US slang
: the least amount : anything at all
I don't know squat [=diddly-squat] about baseball.
He didn't do squat all day.
The car is worth squat. [=nothing at all]
3
chiefly British
: an empty building that squatters live in
She lives in a squat.
squatter; squattest
: short and thick
a squat man = a man with a squat body
a squat tower
Cite this Entry
“Squat.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/squat. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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