stoat

American  

[stoht] / stoʊt /

noun

1. the ermine, Mustela erminea, especially when in brown summer pelage.

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stoat British  

/ stəʊt /

noun

1. a small Eurasian musteline mammal, Mustela erminea, closely related to the weasels, having a brown coat and a black-tipped tail: in the northern parts of its range it has a white winter coat and is then known as an ermine

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Etymology

Origin of stoat

1425–75; late Middle English stote < ?

Compare meaning

How does stoat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• stoat vs. mink

Example Sentences

Kiwi chicks are likely to be eaten by stoats without some form of predator control.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project says it uses lethal traps to humanely kill the stoats.

From BBC

Michel d'Oultremont had been on the hunt for stoats in the snow for years, fascinated by how they disappear into the white landscape.

From BBC

Jose saw this stoat jump mid-air as an "expression of exuberance" as the small mammal hurled itself around in a fresh snowfall.

From BBC

In 2005, several kiwis were placed in the Maungatautari sanctuary in a last-ditch effort to prevent them from being hunted to extinction by predators like stoats and ferrets.

From New York Times