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:
Lawson suffered a hydraulic failure and Albon crashed after hitting a groundhog.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
A 3D groundhog could replace a weary Punxsutawney Phil.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
But the seven-time world champion, a vegan and well-known animal lover, was more concerned with the "horrible" death of the groundhog.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025
The groundhog family lives in a climate-controlled burrow at the local library.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024
It had caught numerous rabbits, several squirrels, and a groundhog.
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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
The Pennsylvania Game Commission says about 36,000 hunters reported killing more than 200,000 groundhogs last year.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Similarly, efforts to use groundhogs in early February to predict six more weeks of winter or an early spring have been debunked.
From New York Times ● May 11, 2023
Designated groundhogs in other Canadian provinces were luckier in fulfilling their duty.
From Reuters ● Feb. 2, 2023
“Oh, looked for groundhogs up on the hill. Fooled around,” I tell him.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
