squirrel away

Idioms  

1. Hide or store, as in She squirreled away her savings in at least four different banks. This expression alludes to the squirrel's habit of hiding nuts and acorns in the ground. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squirrel away

While some travel nurses squirrel away the extra money to pay off debt or buy a home, Panakos left it all on the field.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026

Louis Lopez, an elevator mechanic in New York City, said he was so worried about the economy he had started to squirrel away cash under the mattress.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025

In California, there are about a dozen other carbon storage proposals that seek to collectively squirrel away millions of tons of carbon emissions in old oil and gas fields in exchange for government tax credits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2024

I know there’s nothing I can do about the dissolving tablet, but maybe, with practice, I can squirrel away both the capsule and the green pill.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman