gray squirrel

American  

[grey skwur-uhl, skwuhr‐] / ˈgreɪ ˈskwɜr əl, ˈskwʌr‐ /

noun

1. a gray-colored arboreal squirrel: North American species include the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis ) of the eastern and midwestern U.S. and southeastern Canada, the western gray squirrel (S. griseus ) of the coastal western U.S. and Mexico, the Arizona gray squirrel (S. arizonensis ) of eastern Arizona and adjacent Mexico, and the Mexican gray squirrel (S. aureogaster ), found from Guatemala north through eastern Mexico to the Florida Keys.

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Etymology

Origin of gray squirrel

An Americanism dating back to 1615–25

Example Sentences

You reviewed my picture and you were like, ‘Yeah, that is a squirrel. An Eastern gray squirrel.’’’

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2022

Seems the gray squirrel population has overwhelmed the host red squirrels.

From Washington Post • Apr. 24, 2020

In the end, there was little they could do to prevent the eastern gray squirrel from dying alone on a cold and rainy January night.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2018

It’s unlikely Potter had ever seen a gray squirrel, which hadn’t yet reached the area where she lived, Lear notes.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2017

The sight of a furry gray squirrel makes me sigh with relief.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott