ground squirrel

American  

noun

1. any of several terrestrial rodents of the squirrel family, as of the genus Citellus and chipmunks of the genus Tamias. circ;circ;

---

ground squirrel British  

noun

1. Also called: gopher.  any burrowing sciurine rodent of the genus Citellus and related genera, resembling chipmunks and occurring in North America, E Europe, and Asia

---

Etymology

Origin of ground squirrel

An Americanism dating back to 1680–90

Example Sentences

Groundhogs, a type of large ground squirrel native to North America, are commonplace around the track in Montreal, which is on an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025

In 2019, a lack of predators allowed the ground squirrel population to grow at Tres Hermanos Ranch in Chino Hills.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Yellow-bellied marmots are a large ground squirrel closely related to groundhogs.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2024

To test this, they took skeletal muscle samples from two small hibernators -- the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel and the Garden dormouse -- and two large hibernators -- the American black bear and brown bear.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2024

When one of them managed to kill a ground squirrel or a rabbit, a guinea hen or a grouse, the boys’ aimless play halted and there was suddenly a lot of work to do.

From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park