groundhog
Americannoun
-
groundhogs
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
A 3D groundhog could replace a weary Punxsutawney Phil.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
Punxsutawney Phil - a "weather predicting" groundhog - has forecast six more weeks of winter in the US, disappointing the crowds of people gathered in the Pennsylvania town for the annual Groundhog Day celebrations.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2025
Former England wing Ugo Monye said the defeat against Australia is like "groundhog day" and that being "unlucky" is no longer an excuse.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
The groundhog family lives in a climate-controlled burrow at the local library.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024
Digdown, the old groundhog, popped up to munch on berries.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
There have been a number of incidents where drivers have collided with groundhogs at the Canadian Grand Prix, including one last year involving Hamilton's Ferrari.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Yellow-bellied marmots are a large ground squirrel closely related to groundhogs.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2024
Punxsutawney is an area that Pennsylvania Germans settled — and in the late 1880s started celebrating the holiday by picnicking, hunting and eating groundhogs.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Designated groundhogs in other Canadian provinces were luckier in fulfilling their duty.
From Reuters ● Feb. 2, 2023
Together they kept the rabbits and groundhogs from eating the farmers’ crops and the rats from eating the corn stored in cribs and bins.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
