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.

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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

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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

And if the moment calls, "pop a squat in the middle of the field".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Scouts who attended his matches saw a short, squat forward whose most impressive physical attribute was his substantial tush—not unlike another German World Cup hero of the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

He can squat 640 pounds, which puts him on another level in the weight room.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

“I had to squat and kick my heels out, which, frankly, was not easy for me,” he said.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026

Same squat, square shape and low roof, like a sitting hen ready to lay.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

We performed classic moves: squats, crunches, high and low planks and bird dogs, among them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

Examples include chair squats, heel drops, and wall push-ups.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

Strength-training exercises, such as wall squats or holding the plank position, are among the best ways to lower blood pressure.

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

Gale squats down beside me, shaking his head.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

The device is squatter and wider than Samsung’s previous foldables.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

But there is still so much darkness in “The Grapes of Wrath,” especially in its scenes of John Qualen’s Muley Graves, crumpled on the ground, suddenly a squatter on his own piece of land.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Patent and Trademark Office, Tesla described its adversary as “a bad-faith trademark squatter, who started as a Tesla fan,” and described the French company’s attempt to trademark the Cybercab moniker as fraudulent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

This was a squatter camp outside Johannesburg in 1994 as South Africa prepared to vote in its first non-racial elections.

From BBC ● May 25, 2024

Scott said, “If I am going to help you I must be one of you,” and he proceeded to move to the squatter camp and start a congregation there.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

The American squatted in the dirt, struggling to free the cantaloupe from its prickly stem, almost toppling over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025

Gordon asked the judge if he could have five minutes, during which he squatted in a corner of the video link room at HMP Belmarsh and appeared to debate with himself.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025

Boys who were too weak to walk to the usual places to relieve themselves just squatted in the middle of camp.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

The anti-apartheid campaigner came to the UK in the 1980s to avoid conscription to the "apartheid army" where he became part of the "anarchist squatting scene".

From BBC ● May 10, 2026

Ahead of the launch of its Cybercab vehicle, Tesla accuses Unibev of fraud and trademark squatting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

As labor continued, she got into a squatting position; she let out some squeals and her tail flapped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

KeyBanc analyst Ashley Owens wrote in a Thursday noet that some Reddit reviews of a Valentine’s edition line of pants with a “scattered heart” pattern indicate that the fabric becomes see-through when bending and squatting.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

I was squatting next to the head, probably in her way.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Related Words

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