squirt
Americanverb (used without object)
-
squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
-
squirting
present participle
-
to eject liquid in a jet from a narrow orifice.
The hose squirted all over us.
-
to eject a spurt of liquid.
The lemon squirted in my eye.
verb (used with object)
-
squirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squirted,
past participle, past
-
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!
-
to wet or bespatter with a liquid or viscous substance so ejected.
to squirt someone with a hose.
noun
-
squirts
plural
-
the act of squirting.
-
a spurt or jetlike stream, as of water.
- Synonyms:
- livestream, spray, jet
-
a small quantity of liquid or viscous substance squirted.
Put a squirt of chocolate sauce on my ice cream.
-
Informal.
-
a youngster, especially a meddlesome or impudent one.
-
a short person.
-
an insignificant, self-assertive person, especially one who is small or young.
-
-
an instrument for squirting, as a syringe.
-
Dialect. Usually squirts. diarrhea.
verb
-
to force (a liquid) or (of a liquid) to be forced out of a narrow opening
-
(tr) to cover or spatter with liquid so ejected
noun
-
a jet or amount of liquid so ejected
-
the act or an instance of squirting
-
an instrument used for squirting
-
informal
-
a person regarded as insignificant or contemptible
-
a short person
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squirtsimple
-
squirtssimple
-
have squirtedperfect
-
has squirtedperfect
-
am squirtingprogressive
-
are squirtingprogressive
-
is squirtingprogressive
-
have been squirtingperfect progressive
-
has been squirtingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
Sgiath has been trained to recognise the scent of the carpet sea squirt.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
“You told them about that thing with the squirt bottle. How could you do this to me? I was just joking around.”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
“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
Especially at the larval stages, sea squirts are surprisingly similar to us.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
In the girls’ room, I throw away the garbage and quickly wash my hands using 3 squirts of soap.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
In a few seconds the CrossWave had squirted to its top speed of 55 mph and was skipping across the gentle swells in a blaring, brutalizing ecstasy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
He squirted the ball through the leg side and showed elegance through the off.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024
The ball squirted some 20 yards into Bills territory and was recovered by Nick Herbig at Buffalo’s 33.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
This new fabrication process utilizes a technique called multimaterial extrusion 3D printing, in which several materials can be squirted through the printer's many nozzles to build a device layer by layer.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 11, 2023
Seeds and wet pulp squirted out from the broken rind; they glistened with juice.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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
This revealed that the seed projection method of the squirting cucumber has been fine-tuned to ensure near-optimal dispersal and the success of the plant over generations.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
But this time, the Lakers were too loose, the ball squirting free to trigger a three-on-one fastbreak for the Pistons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
“How nice of you to remember to bring your plate out,” the Old Lady said, squirting some whipped cream out of a can.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
