squirrel

American  

[skwur-uhl, skwuhr-, skwir-uhl] / ˈskwɜr əl, ˈskwʌr-, ˈskwɪr əl /

noun

plural

squirrels,

plural

squirrel

1. any of numerous arboreal, bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Sciurus, of the family Sciuridae.

2. any of various other members of the family Sciuridae, as the chipmunks, flying squirrels, and woodchucks.

3. the meat of such an animal.

4. the pelt or fur of such an animal.

   a coat trimmed with squirrel.

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verb (used with object)

squirreled, squirreling, squirrelled, squirrelling

1. to store or hide (money, valuables, etc.), usually for the future (often followed byaway ).

   I've squirreled away a few dollars for an emergency.

squirrel British  

/ ˈskwʌr-, ˈskwɜːrəl, ˈskwɪrəl /

noun

1. any arboreal sciurine rodent of the genus Sciurus , such as S. vulgaris ( red squirrel ) or S. carolinensis ( grey squirrel ), having a bushy tail and feeding on nuts, seeds, etc

2. any other rodent of the family Sciuridae , such as a ground squirrel or a marmot

3. the fur of such an animal

4. informal a person who hoards things

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verb

1. informal to store for future use; hoard

Other Word Forms

• squirrel-like adjective
• squirrelish adjective
• squirrellike adjective

Etymology

Origin of squirrel

1325–75; Middle English squirel < Anglo-French escuirel ( Old French escuireul ) ≪ Vulgar Latin *scūrellus, *scūriolus, representing Latin sciurus (< Greek skíouros literally, shadow-tailed ( ski ( á ) shadow + -ouros, adj. derivative of ourá tail); apparently so called because the tail was large enough to provide shade for the rest of the animal) with diminutive suffixes -ellus, -olus

Example Sentences

Rattlesnakes like to hide in complex rocky outcrops, tall grass and squirrel burrows.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

A squirrel is casually cracking into your latest $67 contraption, and now you understand: You’re competing with a specialist, shaped by a deep evolutionary history in the trees.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

I squirrel away a small handful to snap into a fideo-style chicken soup.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

"What that means is that, in the case of the squirrel, it nibbled on aloe and took those metabolites into its own bloodstream," explained Bromage.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026

To Penelope it looked like a sort of overgrown mountain squirrel.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood