chipmunk
Americannoun
-
chipmunks
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of chipmunk
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; assimilated variant of earlier chitmunk, apparently from Ojibwe ačitamo·nʔ “red squirrel,” equivalent to ačit- “headfirst, face-down” + derivational elements; so called from the squirrel's manner of descending trees
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:
Eluding us is the numbat, a rare Australian marsupial which could be the love-child of a chipmunk and an anteater.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Originally created in 1958, the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise follows the three singing chipmunk brothers—mischievous Alvin, intellectual Simon and adorable Theodore—and their human father-turned-manager, Dave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Scientists have also recorded it in a pet chipmunk in Germany and in healthy captive parrots.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 5, 2023
“Now the chipmunk was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2021
“They tried to poison you?” a girl with chipmunk cheeks asks.
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
Between 2007 and 2015, the trio starred in four movies featuring computer-generated chipmunks and bearing punny titles like “The Squeakquel,” “The Road Chip” and “Chipwrecked.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Woodpeckers carve nesting cavities in the softer dead trees and broken-off snags, then move on each year, leaving behind homes for other nesting creatures, such as nuthatches and chipmunks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025
Vandegrift hopes to trap voles, woodchucks, chipmunks, and porcupines himself.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 29, 2024
For example, suburban developments that attempt to shove civilization into recently wild areas put humans in close contact with tick hosts like mice and chipmunks.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024
He felt Frolic stir and turn in his light puppyish slumber, probably dreaming of birds and chipmunks to chase.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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.
