squirrel
Americannoun
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any of numerous arboreal, bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Sciurus, of the family Sciuridae.
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any of various other members of the family Sciuridae, as the chipmunks, flying squirrels, and woodchucks.
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the meat of such an animal.
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the pelt or fur of such an animal.
a coat trimmed with squirrel.
verb (used with object)
noun
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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
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any other rodent of the family Sciuridae , such as a ground squirrel or a marmot
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the fur of such an animal
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informal a person who hoards things
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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squirrelsimple
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squirrelssimple
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have squirreledperfect
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have squirrelledperfect
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has squirreledperfect
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has squirrelledperfect
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am squirrelingprogressive
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am squirrellingprogressive
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are squirrelingprogressive
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are squirrellingprogressive
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is squirrelingprogressive
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is squirrellingprogressive
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have been squirrelingperfect progressive
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have been squirrellingperfect progressive
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has been squirrelingperfect progressive
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has been squirrellingperfect progressive
Past
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squirreledsimple
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squirrelledsimple
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had squirreledperfect
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had squirrelledperfect
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was squirrelingprogressive
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was squirrellingprogressive
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were squirrelingprogressive
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were squirrellingprogressive
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had been squirrelingperfect progressive
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had been squirrellingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Squirrels are rodents that live in trees and have big, bushy tails. You've probably seen many squirrels in the park eating acorns and seeds. A well-known characteristic of squirrels is gathering nuts and seeds to store for the winter: you can say they squirrel away that food. You can squirrel things away, too, like squirreling away money in your savings account to use later. If you find a great sale on snow boots in the middle of summer, you might take advantage of the bargain and squirrel those boots away for your trip to northern Canada in January.
Vocabulary lists containing squirrel
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.
She might even serve Dinty Moore canned beef stew, something an uber-fan like Rachel knows the production team of the original series used instead of traditional frontier meals like squirrel stew.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
"Jian and the other microraptors probably weren't capable of true, powered flight, but they could probably glide like a flying squirrel," says O'Connor.
From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026
During the game, he stays calm while a squirrel approaches him.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
The most famous is probably the North American grey squirrel, which has nearly wiped out our native red squirrel populations.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
There’s nothing wrong with our eyesight, and we saw her take a flying leap at the dangling tails of Mrs. Cranston’s squirrel cape.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
