weasel

[ wee-zuhl ]

/ ˈwi zəl /

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noun, plural wea·sels, (especially collectively) wea·sel.

any small carnivore of the genus Mustela, of the family Mustelidae, having a long, slender body and feeding chiefly on small rodents.

any of various similar animals of the family Mustelidae.

a cunning, sneaky person.

a tracked vehicle resembling a tractor, used in snow.

Slang. an informer; stool pigeon.

verb (used without object)

to evade an obligation, duty, or the like; renege (often followed by out): That's one invitation I'd like to weasel out of.

to use weasel words; be ambiguous; mislead: Upon cross-examination the witness began to weasel.

Slang. to inform.

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Origin of weasel

before 900; 1920–25 for def. 6; Middle English wesele, Old English wesle, weosule; cognate with Old High German wisula, German Wiesel

Words nearby weasel

wear thin, wear two hats, wear well, weary, weasand, weasel, weaselly, weasel out, weasel word, weasel words, weather

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use weasel in a sentence

Some listeners may recall that in 2016, the Large Hadron Collider, which is a big ol’ particle collider in Switzerland, shut down because of a weasel.
Death ‘by planet’ was surprisingly common in the 1600s|PopSci Staff|November 24, 2021|Popular-Science
Note the weasel words (a term they do actually teach in law school): “affected community.”
Facebook Apologizes For, but Doesn’t Retract, Discriminatory ‘Real Name’ Policy|Jay Michaelson|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the usual weasel language: more observations were needed.
The Exoplanet That Wasn’t There|Matthew R. Francis|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His mean face slowly resolved into a baffled, respectful expression, like that of a weasel facing a trap.
‘The Land of the Permanent Wave’ Is Bud Shrake’s Classic Take on ‘60s Texas|Edwin Shrake|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Gold Weasel Medal goes to Marco Rubio, as others such as Tim Noah have noted.
Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Their Craven and Brazen Hypocrisy on Syria|Michael Tomasky|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I think the American people would like to hear Romney weasel around that one.
One Thing About the Debate I Forgot in that Previous Piece|Michael Tomasky|October 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Courage, that a poor private carrying a musket has to spare of; that does not fail a weasel or a rat; that is a brutish faculty?
The Pocket R.L.S.|Robert Louis Stevenson
They have both been sometimes confounded with the weasel of Virginia, the genet, the musk-deer, and even with the hyna.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
He is called the weasel armadillo, because his head is nearly of the same form as a weasel.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Then the father recollected his perjured vow, and his witnesses, the weasel and the well.
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala|Various
"They are following our people toward the lodges of the Ogalalas," Painted Weasel told him.
Three Sioux Scouts|Elmer Russell Gregor

British Dictionary definitions for weasel

weasel

/ (ˈwiːzəl) /

noun plural -sels or -sel

any of various small predatory musteline mammals of the genus Mustela and related genera, esp M. nivalis (European weasel), having reddish-brown fur, an elongated body and neck, and short legs

informal a sly or treacherous person

mainly US a motor vehicle for use in snow, esp one with caterpillar tracks

Derived forms of weasel

weaselly, adjective

Word Origin for weasel

Old English weosule, wesle; related to Old Norse visla, Old High German wisula, Middle Dutch wesel

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

weasel

Origin of weasel

Words nearby weasel

Words related to weasel

How to use weasel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for weasel

Derived forms of weasel

Word Origin for weasel