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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
A squirt of dish soap, a cup of hot water, a few pulses, a quick brush.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 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
One squirt from a water bottle would be enough to deal with them, so why did I feel like a trapped mouse?
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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
She also saw another rare visitor, ethereal relatives of sea squirts known as salps that live in the open oceans forming long chains of tiny animals.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2024
She intended to steal only a few squirts.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
"A lot of stuff gets dropped on or squirted at the audience," noted Lukowski.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
After Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar greeted him with singles to put runners at the corners, Pozo squirted a two-out single over the infield to score pinch-runner Garrett Hampson for the go-ahead run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
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
McIlroy was within two shots of Schauffele, but his fairway wood out of the bunker on the par-5 15th caught sand and the ball squirted off to the right about 50 yards away.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
While Grenn seized his arm, Pyp gave the skin a squeeze, and a thin stream of red squirted Jon in the face.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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
They ranged from multiple 24-second violations to lost rebounds to a ball squirting through James’ hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
Until now, the exact mechanism of the squirting cucumber's seed dispersal -- and how this affects its reproductive success -- remained poorly understood.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
“Squid have two lines of defense: squirting ink and escaping quickly. They need a lot of oxygen to move away from predators. Maybe they have three hearts to keep up the oxygen supply.”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
