groundhog
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of groundhog
Explanation
Groundhogs are large rodents that are native to North America. Legend has it that if a groundhog emerges from hibernation and sees its shadow on February 2, there will be six more weeks of winter. Gardeners and ranchers consider groundhogs to be pests, because they nibble on vegetables and plants and have a habit of tunneling underground to construct elaborate burrows. These stocky rodents are closely related to marmots, prairie dogs, and squirrels. In some parts of the U.S. they're known as woodchucks, and in other regions people call them whistle pigs. Historians trace the first Groundhog Day to the mid 19th century.
Vocabulary lists containing groundhog
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 2–February 8, 2025
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 17–August 23, 2024
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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.
A 3D groundhog could replace a weary Punxsutawney Phil.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026
The Pennsylvania Game Commission says the potential lifespan of a groundhog is estimated at eight or nine years.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2025
The groundhog family lives in a climate-controlled burrow at the local library.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024
February is well upon us, and it wouldn’t take a groundhog sighting on Hollywood Boulevard to know that the interminable rituals of Academy Awards season will grind on for another several weeks.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024
Digdown, the old groundhog, popped up to munch on berries.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
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.
