squirt
Americanverb (used without object)
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squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
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squirting
present participle
-
to eject liquid in a jet from a narrow orifice.
The hose squirted all over us.
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to eject a spurt of liquid.
The lemon squirted in my eye.
verb (used with object)
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squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
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squirting
present participle
-
to cause (liquid or a viscous substance) to spurt or issue in a jet, as from a narrow orifice.
Squirt the water over that way!
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to wet or bespatter with a liquid or viscous substance so ejected.
to squirt someone with a hose.
noun
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squirts
plural
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the act of squirting.
-
a spurt or jetlike stream, as of water.
- Synonyms:
- livestream, spray, jet
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a small quantity of liquid or viscous substance squirted.
Put a squirt of chocolate sauce on my ice cream.
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Informal.
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a youngster, especially a meddlesome or impudent one.
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a short person.
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an insignificant, self-assertive person, especially one who is small or young.
-
-
an instrument for squirting, as a syringe.
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Dialect. Usually squirts. diarrhea.
verb
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to force (a liquid) or (of a liquid) to be forced out of a narrow opening
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(tr) to cover or spatter with liquid so ejected
noun
-
a jet or amount of liquid so ejected
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the act or an instance of squirting
-
an instrument used for squirting
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informal
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a person regarded as insignificant or contemptible
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a short person
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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squirtsimple
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squirtssimple
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have squirtedperfect
-
has squirtedperfect
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am squirtingprogressive
-
are squirtingprogressive
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is squirtingprogressive
-
have been squirtingperfect progressive
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has been squirtingperfect progressive
Past
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squirtedsimple
-
had squirtedperfect
-
was squirtingprogressive
-
were squirtingprogressive
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had been squirtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squirt
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English verb squirten, apparently variant of swirten; cognate with Low German swirtjen in the same sense; perhaps akin to swirl; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To squirt is to abruptly squeeze a liquid out of something. When you spend the day at the beach, you might squirt sunblock on your arms or squirt ketchup on the fries you bought at the snack bar. Octopuses and squid use their ability to squirt black ink to confuse their predators. Most kids enjoy using squirt guns to squirt each other with water. In both cases, the discharge itself can be called a squirt. If someone calls you a squirt, however, they mean that you're an insignificant and possibly annoying person: "Get lost, squirt! You're bothering me!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At highway speeds, the sedan’s sharp reflexes and deep reserves of squirt create significant moral temptation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
A squirt of dish soap, a cup of hot water, a few pulses, a quick brush.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026
These approaches were to do with different philosophies of dealing with a phenomenon known as 'tyre squirt'.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
At first we’d try to act casual, as if our mouths weren’t full of water, but it was pretty hard convincing someone you weren’t going to squirt water on them when you couldn’t talk.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
To better understand how these systems evolved, the researchers generated new genetic data from sea squirts, a lamprey, and a species of frog.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 4, 2026
You can also add a few squirts of TJ’s Sriracha Sauce, just before adding the seasoning packet, for a spicy kick.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2025
To construct a house, the Vulcan II squirts out layer after layer of the house’s walls onto the base.
From NewsForKids.net ● May 10, 2024
Exeter have possession close to the posts but it squirts out from the breakdown and the chance is gone.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024
He pulls on a teat and squirts milk into his mouth.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Whipped cream squirted from an aerosol can is often called "skooshy cream" north of the border.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2025
They have contracting muscle bands, like those in the human throat, that pump water sucked from one side of the body and squirted out the other end to create thrust, Damian-Serrano said.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
The information contained in a paper return could be squirted over a modem as a series of 0’s and 1’s, obviating the need to kill trees and race to the post office.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2024
Rush end Jamil Muhammad forced a fumble, but the ball squirted out of bounds before the Trojans could recover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
A stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit Zoe in the face.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
For days before his PortaSplit arrived, he had resorted to squirting water on his face to keep cool at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Frustrated locals have often staged protests around it, sometimes squirting tourists with water guns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
They ranged from multiple 24-second violations to lost rebounds to a ball squirting through James’ hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
Right then, he was squirting big globs of sunblock onto his hands and rubbing it into his brown skin until the white lotion disappeared.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
