weasel
Americannoun
plural
weasels,plural
weasel-
any small carnivore of the genus Mustela, of the family Mustelidae, having a long, slender body and feeding chiefly on small rodents.
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any of various similar animals of the family Mustelidae.
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a cunning, sneaky person.
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a tracked vehicle resembling a tractor, used in snow.
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Slang. an informer; stool pigeon.
verb (used without object)
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to evade an obligation, duty, or the like; renege (often followed byout ).
That's one invitation I'd like to weasel out of.
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to use weasel words; be ambiguous; mislead.
Upon cross-examination the witness began to weasel.
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Slang. to inform.
noun
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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
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informal a sly or treacherous person
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a motor vehicle for use in snow, esp one with caterpillar tracks
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of weasel
before 900; 1920–25 weasel for def. 6; Middle English wesele, Old English wesle, weosule; cognate with Old High German wisula, German Wiesel
Explanation
A weasel is a sneaky and sly person. Your weasel of a friend has a habit of "forgetting" his wallet every time he goes out to dinner with you. You can call someone who cheats and lies a weasel, or you can use the word literally, to refer to the small furry mammal called a weasel. The furry kind of weasel is known for its short legs, long neck, and musky smell. In fact, the word's Proto-Germanic origin wisand carries the meaning of a stinky animal. The verb weasel means to sneak or evade, like when you weasel out of doing the dishes.
Vocabulary lists containing weasel
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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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.
“But when universities do the same thing by trying to weasel out of their contracts, it’s equally corrosive.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025
Although Kennedy repeatedly claimed that he's not anti-vaccine throughout his hearing, his statements about vaccines are loaded with weasel words and caveats that are common deflection strategies from vaccine denialists.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2025
He’s a weasel with a sword, the drunken-samurai trope like the tragic buffoon Kikuchiyo, portrayed by the great Toshiro Mifune in the Akira Kurosawa classic “Seven Samurai.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024
"The field is replete with weasel words and unfortunately one of those is consciousness," says Prof Stevan Harnad of Quebec University.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2024
Next to her on the rail, Gale the weasel chittered impatiently.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
