groundhog

or ground hog

[ ground-hog, -hawg ]

/ ˈgraʊndˌhɒg, -hɔg /

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noun

woodchuck.

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Origin of groundhog

An Americanism dating back to 1650–60; ground¹ + hog

Words nearby groundhog

ground fog, ground frost, ground game, ground glass, ground hemlock, groundhog, Groundhog Day, ground ice, grounding, ground itch, ground ivy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use groundhog in a sentence

Most are groundhogs, but other species have taken up the role as well.
Groundhogs Do Not Make Good Meteorologists|Simran Parwani (simran.parwani@abc.com)|February 1, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
They are under the impression that hiding in a hole, like a groundhog, will save anyone from anything.
What We Learned About Navigating Schooling and COVID|Megan Wood|January 16, 2022|Voice of San Diego
I have groundhogs who live under my deck, and I love those groundhogs—but I also love the foxes who want to catch them.
How “My Octopus Teacher” Defied Convention - Issue 99: Universality|Brandon Keim|April 14, 2021|Nautilus
I want your best photos of squirrels, chipmunks and groundhogs.
From running in D.C.’s streets to soaring over them with his birds of prey|John Kelly|March 17, 2021|Washington Post

But, if the groundhog does not see his shadow, spring is on its way.
Hints From Heloise: An easy way to check return on investment|Heloise Heloise|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
Columbus Day felt a lot more like Groundhog Day in Kentucky on Monday night.
Mitch McConnell-Alison Lundergan Grimes Debate Leaves Kentucky Hanging|Sam Youngman|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than a dozen years after the horrors of 9/11, we find ourselves in a Groundhog Day-style nightmare.
Why We Shouldn't Be Scared of ISIS: Threat Inflation and Our Next Dumb War|Nick Gillespie|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The groundhog came out today, laughed, and scratched ‘See Real Life’ in the dirt,” he says.
The Stacks: The Inimitable Albert Brooks Caught at the Dawn of His Movie Career|Paul Slansky|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Caddy Shack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and Analyze This affirm it.
How Harold Ramis Invented Baby Boom Comedy With ‘Animal House’|P. J. O’Rourke|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Harold Ramis made a passel of great comedies, but he never made one better than Groundhog Day.
Harold Ramis’s ‘Groundhog Day’ Is About as Perfect as a Movie Gets|Malcolm Jones|February 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Groundhog looked up and caught Shorty's eye fixed unflinchingly on him.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
The Groundhog dance is one of those belonging to the great thanksgiving ceremony, Green-corn dance.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney
He focused his own gaze upon the commissioner's eye as intently as he would have watched a groundhog hole in the hills.
The Red Debt|Everett MacDonald
Some observers have referred to it as a rat, but it climbs trees and grows to the size of a woodchuck, or groundhog.
Cuba, Old and New|Albert Gardner Robinson
Occasionally one is trapped, with bloody groundhog for bait; but I have yet to meet a man who has succeeded in shooting one.
Our Southern Highlanders|Horace Kephart

British Dictionary definitions for groundhog

groundhog

/ (ˈɡraʊndˌhɒɡ) /

noun

another name for woodchuck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012