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British

squirt

[ skwurt ]

/ skwɜrt /

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verb (used without object)

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)

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

the act of squirting.

a spurt or jetlike stream, as of water.

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.

Usually squirts. Dialect. diarrhea.

OTHER WORDS FOR squirt

6 jet, spray, livestream.

See synonyms for squirt on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR SQUIRT

The Disgusting Origin Of The Word "Squirt"

If you’re a ten-year-old boy, this host is about to become you’re new hero. Everyone else? Sorry we ruined ketchup.

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Origin of squirt

1425–75; (v.) late Middle English squirten, apparently variant of swirten; cognate with Low German swirtjen in same sense; perhaps akin to swirl; (noun) late Middle English sqwyrt diarrhea, derivative of the v.

OTHER WORDS FROM squirt

squirter, nounsquirt·ing·ly, adverbun·squirt·ed, adjective

Words nearby squirt

squirrelfish, squirrel monkey, squirrel's-foot fern, squirrel-tail grass, squirrely, squirt, squirt can, squirt gun, squirting cucumber, squish, squishy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use squirt in a sentence

The layers were presoaked, but for good measure, Ruiz fired off a few more squirts of lukewarm water into both the jacket and shorts.
Can Zapping Your Muscles Enhance Strength Training?|syadron|August 7, 2021|Outside Online
Mar de Viñas Albariño 2020Val do Salnés, Rías Baixas, Spain, $19Citrusy, with a hint of salinity from the ocean breeze off the Atlantic, this wine brightens your palate the way a squirt of lemon lifts the flavors of any dish.
This crisp pinot grigio stands out in the crowd at only $12|Dave McIntyre|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
My 3-year-old sanitized his doll’s hands with an imaginary squirt of Purell after each outing to the backyard.
Covid has invaded our kids’ pretend play. Experts say it’s a good thing.|Julia Pelly|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
Cañestro thought that Oikopleura had perhaps retained simpler, more ancestral features than other sea squirts and could be a guide to what they had evolved from.
By Losing Genes, Life Often Evolved More Complexity|Viviane Callier|September 1, 2020|Quanta Magazine

When Cristian Cañestro set out in the early 2000s to study how animals with brains and backbones evolved, he picked a sea squirt called Oikopleura as a useful subject.
By Losing Genes, Life Often Evolved More Complexity|Viviane Callier|September 1, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Spam, squirt guns, earthworms, pirate costumes—stuff like that.
Cheap Trick: Most Magicians Are Lazy Hacks|Rick Lax|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His only options: slap a GPS tracker on the little squirt or buy him a cellphone.
New VivoPlay Wristwatch Helps Parents Keep Track of Wayward Kids|Winston Ross|January 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The song also happened to call his opponent, incumbent Martin Van Buren, a “little squirt wirt wirt.”
The Strange History of Political Campaign Songs (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Skaters squirt each other with bottled water and do tricks on the subway stairs.
Moira Johnston Goes Topless in N.Y.C. to Raise Awareness of the Right to a Bare Chest|Lizzie Crocker|July 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“Secret Service officers huddled in the guard booth” until the official beekeeper took the bees down with a squirt bottle.
12 Juicy Bits From Michelle Obama’s Garden Book|Alex Klein|May 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Porky pulled out his check-book and begun to scribble with one of them squirt-gun pens.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
I'll learn you to leave junk in my way, you greenhorn squirt!
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
It is also advisable to squirt distillate up into the case through the opening where the strainer has been removed.
Aviation Engines|Victor Wilfred Pag
He grasped the oil can and, in order to test the efficacy of its squirt, shot a generous stream down Captain Scraggs's collar.
Captain Scraggs|Peter B. Kyne
They could squirt full ten feet before the wind, as appeared by the marks of the drops on the sand.
Cape Cod|Henry D. Thoreau

British Dictionary definitions for squirt

squirt

/ (skwɜːt) /

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

Derived forms of squirt

squirter, noun

Word Origin for squirt

C15: of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012