squirt
Americanverb (used without object)
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squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
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squirting
present participle
-
to eject liquid in a jet from a narrow orifice.
The hose squirted all over us.
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to eject a spurt of liquid.
The lemon squirted in my eye.
verb (used with object)
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squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
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squirting
present participle
-
to cause (liquid or a viscous substance) to spurt or issue in a jet, as from a narrow orifice.
Squirt the water over that way!
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to wet or bespatter with a liquid or viscous substance so ejected.
to squirt someone with a hose.
noun
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squirts
plural
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the act of squirting.
-
a spurt or jetlike stream, as of water.
- Synonyms:
- livestream, spray, jet
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a small quantity of liquid or viscous substance squirted.
Put a squirt of chocolate sauce on my ice cream.
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Informal.
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a youngster, especially a meddlesome or impudent one.
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a short person.
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an insignificant, self-assertive person, especially one who is small or young.
-
-
an instrument for squirting, as a syringe.
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Dialect. Usually squirts. diarrhea.
verb
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to force (a liquid) or (of a liquid) to be forced out of a narrow opening
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(tr) to cover or spatter with liquid so ejected
noun
-
a jet or amount of liquid so ejected
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the act or an instance of squirting
-
an instrument used for squirting
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informal
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a person regarded as insignificant or contemptible
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a short person
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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squirtsimple
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squirtssimple
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have squirtedperfect
-
has squirtedperfect
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am squirtingprogressive
-
are squirtingprogressive
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is squirtingprogressive
-
have been squirtingperfect progressive
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has been squirtingperfect progressive
Past
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squirtedsimple
-
had squirtedperfect
-
was squirtingprogressive
-
were squirtingprogressive
-
had been squirtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squirt
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English verb squirten, apparently variant of swirten; cognate with Low German swirtjen in the same sense; perhaps akin to swirl; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To squirt is to abruptly squeeze a liquid out of something. When you spend the day at the beach, you might squirt sunblock on your arms or squirt ketchup on the fries you bought at the snack bar. Octopuses and squid use their ability to squirt black ink to confuse their predators. Most kids enjoy using squirt guns to squirt each other with water. In both cases, the discharge itself can be called a squirt. If someone calls you a squirt, however, they mean that you're an insignificant and possibly annoying person: "Get lost, squirt! You're bothering me!"
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.
See Examples For:
At highway speeds, the sedan’s sharp reflexes and deep reserves of squirt create significant moral temptation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
Unlike the sea squirt, both the lamprey and the frog produced many more versions of proteins from individual signaling output genes.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 4, 2026
These approaches were to do with different philosophies of dealing with a phenomenon known as 'tyre squirt'.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
Put simply, our first suggestion is don't expect to counter the firehose of falsehood with the squirt gun of truth.
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
"A little squirt called Ollie Bogwhistle sneaked on me," Hortensia said.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
“I had found my drink, my happy place,” said Benson, who over time perfected his order: seven pumps of chai concentrate, seven squirts of sugar-free vanilla syrup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
You can also add a few squirts of TJ’s Sriracha Sauce, just before adding the seasoning packet, for a spicy kick.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2025
To construct a house, the Vulcan II squirts out layer after layer of the house’s walls onto the base.
From NewsForKids.net ● May 10, 2024
Almost all sea squirts are hermaphrodites, as they produce both male and female germ cells.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
He pulls on a teat and squirts milk into his mouth.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
He squirted the ball through the leg side and showed elegance through the off.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024
They have contracting muscle bands, like those in the human throat, that pump water sucked from one side of the body and squirted out the other end to create thrust, Damian-Serrano said.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
The information contained in a paper return could be squirted over a modem as a series of 0’s and 1’s, obviating the need to kill trees and race to the post office.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2024
About the size of a banana, Peng’s squid squirted water and ink as it dangled from his pink and white jig.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
“Why would Joe Mondragon be thinking about you, Daddy?” she asked, giggling when he sneezed again and some more urine squirted painfully out, most of it missing the bowl.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
For days before his PortaSplit arrived, he had resorted to squirting water on his face to keep cool at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Frustrated locals have often staged protests around it, sometimes squirting tourists with water guns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Other proposed methods include squirting aerosols into the atmosphere or using microbubbles to make the ocean whiter.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
A black outline of Jessie standing on the bottom step with daylight squirting all around her.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
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.
