hamster
Americannoun
noun
Usage
Where does the word hamster come from? The name for those adorable, fluffy, little chipmunk-cheeked rodents known as hamsters hails from German. Hamster was borrowed directly from the German Hamster in the early 1600s. We consider hamsters as the hipsters of the rodent world. Just because we can. For the sheer fun of wordplay. Alas, the -ster suffix in hipster is unrelated to the letters -ster in hamster. Now that you know how hamsters got their name, why not find out how some of our other most beloved pets got theirs in the slideshow: "Where Do The Words For Our Pets Come From?"
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hamster
1600–10; < German; compare Old High German hamastro, Old Saxon hamstra weevil
Explanation
A hamster is a furry little rodent that's sometimes kept as a pet in North America. Unlike gerbils and mice, which have long tails, hamsters have stubby tails and cheek pouches for storing food. In the wild, hamsters don't just use their cheeks for carrying food — they also fill them with air in order to float in the water. If you've ever kept a pet hamster, it may be strange to imagine them as wild animals, but most of these nocturnal rodents aren't domesticated. Before the adoption of the German name Hamster, the English word for these cute little animals was German rat.
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:
"You do get on a bit of a hamster wheel", says John from Derbyshire, whose 11-year-old son Harrison is a promising player.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
The number is what gets you off the hamster wheel of anxiety every time you see another layoff headline.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
The newly named species, Cimolodon desosai, was roughly the size of a golden hamster.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026
If the desire to be released from this Hell reaches across the party line — if it’s affecting everyone, everywhere — is there any escape at all, any way off this hamster wheel?
From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2025
And how could a little hamster fight back?
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Other advice included moving rabbit and guinea pig pens to shaded areas and ensure indoor enclosures for pets like hamsters were not in direct sunlight.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
In a study, the antibody protected hamsters from the Andes strain—the one in the current outbreak that is able to spread between humans—according to study results published in Science Translational Medicine in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
When researchers tested the nasal vaccine in hamsters and mice, they observed near-complete protection against H5N1 infection.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 4, 2026
Playful creatures from octopus and squid to whales, bunnies and even hamsters create a graphic and exciting vibe just in time for the holidays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024
Peering into each of the dozen or so small cages that lined the shelves and walls, he made sure that the mice, gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs all had food and water.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
