squat

American  

[skwot] / skwɒt /

verb (used without object)

• squats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squatted,
  past participle,  past
• squat,
  past participle,  past
• squatting
  present participle

1. to sit in a low or crouching position with the legs drawn up closely beneath or in front of the body; sit on one's haunches or heels.

2. to crouch down or cower, as an animal.

3. to settle on or occupy property, especially otherwise unoccupied property, without any title, right, or payment of rent.

4. to settle on public land under government regulation, in order to acquire title.

5. Nautical. (of a vessel, especially a power vessel) to draw more water astern when in motion forward than when at rest.

---

verb (used with object)

• squats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squatted,
  past participle,  past
• squat,
  past participle,  past
• squatting
  present participle

1. to cause to squat.

2. to occupy (property) as a squatter.

adjective

squatter, squattest

1. (of a person, animal, the body, etc.) short and thickset.

   Synonyms:

   blocky, stocky, dumpy

2. low and thick or broad.

   The building had a squat shape.

3. seated or being in a squatting position; crouching.

noun

• squats
  plural

1. the act or fact of squatting.

2. a squatting position or posture.

3. a weightlifting exercise in which a person squats and then returns to an erect position while holding a barbell at the back of the shoulders.

4. Nautical. the tendency of a vessel to draw more water astern when in motion than when stationary.

5. Slang. diddly-squat.

6. a place occupied by squatters.

squat British  

/ skwɒt /

verb

1. to rest in a crouching position with the knees bent and the weight on the feet

2. to crouch down, esp in order to hide

3. law (tr) to occupy land or property to which the occupant has no legal title

4. weightlifting to crouch down to one's knees and rise to a standing position while holding (a specified weight) behind one's neck

---

adjective

1. Also: squatty. short and broad

   a squat chair

noun

1. a squatting position

2. weightlifting an exercise in which a person crouches down and rises up repeatedly while holding a barbell at shoulder height

3. a house occupied by squatters

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squatness
  noun
• squatly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squats
  plural

Participles

• squatting
  present
• squat
  past
• squatted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• squat
  simple
• squats
  simple
• have squat
  perfect
• have squatted
  perfect
• has squat
  perfect
• has squatted
  perfect
• am squatting
  progressive
• are squatting
  progressive
• is squatting
  progressive
• have been squatting
  perfect progressive
• has been squatting
  perfect progressive

Past

• squat
  simple
• squatted
  simple
• had squat
  perfect
• had squatted
  perfect
• was squatting
  progressive
• were squatting
  progressive
• had been squatting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will squat
  simple
• will have squat
  perfect
• will have squatted
  perfect
• will be squatting
  progressive
• will have been squatting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of squat

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (verb) squatten, from Old French esquater, esquatir, equivalent to es- + quatir, from unattested Vulgar Latin coactīre “to compress,” equivalent to Latin coāct(us), past participle of cōgere “to compress” ( co- + ag(ere) “to drive” + -tus past participle suffix) + -īre infinitive suffix; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the verb; see origin at ex- ¹, co-

Explanation

If you crouch down very low and sit on your heels, you squat. If you have to talk to a small child, you might have to squat to talk face-to-face. The verb squat also means to illegally occupy a building — especially to live in it. If you own vacant property, you need to be careful that someone doesn't decide to squat in the empty house. As an adjective, squat describes someone who is very short and thick. In the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the dwarfs are depicted as squat little men.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squat squats squatter squatted squatting

The gut-busting workouts imposed by Sumrall and Whitt centered on four lifts: power clean, bench, squat and dead lift.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

It’s big, too, nearly 10 miles long, and peaky, with some squat concrete buildings up at the crest of one of the hills, and a single telegraph pole.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

The squat one-storey building has recently received a fresh coat of paint and looks respectable from a distance.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

It’s not about having to squat 500 pounds but more being able to run and have fast legs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Then she saw it, way off in the waves: a medium-sized steam frigate, its long masts reaching up into the night and beneath them a squat chimney.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Doing deep squats or lunges with poor form can put unnecessary strain on your knee joint.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

“I’m on a gym tour, baby! I wanna come to your gym. I wanna work out with you,” she said before launching into squats, push-ups and bicep curls.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Wall squats involve putting your back against a wall and lowering down into a sitting position using your hips until the thighs are parallel to the ground.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

They use a "flywheel exercise device," similar to a yo-yo, that can allow for aerobics like rowing as well as provide resistance to perform moves like weighted squats and deadlifts.

From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026

Ma squats at the cliff’s edge, urging me to take my time, but I just want to get this over with.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

A room built for the NFL Rams and co-occupied by the squatter Chargers felt like a proper football cathedral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

“At least I eat sometimes,” said Cedric Mnisi, 39, who lives in a squatter camp nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

She excelled on stage and screen in Alan Bennett’s “The Lady in the Van,” playing a crotchety squatter with an imperious sense of entitlement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024

As the sun rose, the squatter camp gradually vanished under the earth.

From BBC ● May 25, 2024

I told Mom she was the snootiest squatter I’d ever met, and that made her laugh.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Star running back Jadan Baugh squatted such an astronomical number—600 pounds—that the conditioning staff prohibited him from throwing any more weight on the machine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Many others throughout the country -- particularly around the capital Tirana and Albania's principal port, Durres, were simply squatted.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Others squatted on balcony steps or leaned against walls for the roughly 90-minute service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

Behind the plate squatted Freddie Freeman, the walk-off hero in Game 1 of last year’s Fall Classic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025

I squatted down and looked him in the eye.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Even as videos of his superhuman strength—showing him squatting, for example, 600 pounds—continue to circulate on YouTube.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

He says he’s squatting more than 500 pounds and lifting 110-pound dumbbells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Still, the only two clubs with a lower average attendance are the sad-sack Miami Marlins and the homeless Athletics, who are currently squatting at a Triple-A stadium in West Sacramento, Calif.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Her early success "only intensified her commitment to stand by the common man - squatting with vendors, arriving wherever there was trouble, dressing simply and making it her hallmark style".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Aunt Chipo was squatting inside, her mouth set in a sour line.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• cower
• crouch
• hunch
• perch
• sit
• stoop