squirrel cage

[ skwur-uhl keyj, skwuhr-uhl ]
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noun
  1. a cage containing a hamster wheel.

Origin of squirrel cage

1
First recorded in 1815–25

Words Nearby squirrel cage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use squirrel cage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for squirrel cage

squirrel cage

noun
  1. a cage consisting of a cylindrical framework that is made to rotate by a small animal running inside the framework

  2. a repetitive purposeless task, way of life, etc

  1. Also called: squirrel-cage motor electrical engineering the rotor of an induction motor with a cylindrical winding having copper bars around the periphery parallel to the axis

  2. an electric fan with many long narrow blades arranged in parallel so as to form a cylinder about an axis around which they spin

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