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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have squirrelledperfect
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has squirrelledperfect 3rd person singular
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have squirreledperfect
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has squirreledperfect 3rd person singular
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are squirrellingprogressive
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am squirrelingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been squirrelingperfect progressive
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are squirrelingprogressive
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has been squirrellingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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has been squirrelingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been squirrellingperfect progressive
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is squirrelingprogressive 3rd person singular
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is squirrellingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am squirrellingprogressive 1st person singular
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squirrelingparticiple
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squirrelssingular 3rd person
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squirrellingparticiple
Past
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had squirreledperfect
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had squirrelledperfect
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had been squirrelingperfect progressive
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had been squirrellingperfect progressive
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was squirrelingprogressive singular
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was squirrellingprogressive singular
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were squirrelingprogressive plural
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were squirrellingprogressive plural
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squirreledparticiple
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squirrelledsimple
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squirreledsimple
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squirrelledparticiple
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.
“This was sent in by Rebecca,” Drizzles says of a photo of a squirrel.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The campaign called for a national plan to humanely manage grey squirrel populations and urgent investment in squirrelpox vaccine development.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Locals give directions to out-of-towners using churches as landmarks, and a Masonic lodge was promoting a squirrel hunt one recent day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 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
It was Nutsawoo, the bold and beady-eyed squirrel whom the children had improbably made into a pet.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
