woodchuck

American  

[wood-chuhk] / ˈwʊdˌtʃʌk /

noun

• woodchucks
  plural

1. a stocky North American burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, that hibernates in the winter.

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woodchuck British  

/ ˈwʊdˌtʃʌk /

noun

1. Also called: groundhog.  a North American marmot, Marmota monax, having coarse reddish-brown fur

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• woodchucks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of woodchuck

First recorded in 1665–75, presumably a reshaping by folk etymology of a word in a Southern New England Algonquian language; compare Narragansett ( English spelling) ockqutchaun “woodchuck”

Compare meaning

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

• marmot vs. woodchuck

Explanation

Woodchuck is another name for a groundhog, the chubby rodent commonly found in North America. Some gardeners consider woodchucks to be pests, but they help keep the soil healthy by burrowing. After groundhog, woodchuck is the most common name for this furry marmot, officially classified as a ground squirrel. Woodchucks have round bodies, short tails, and long teeth, and their underground digging annoys people who love their perfect lawns. All that burrowing is actually helpful, exposing compacted soil to oxygen and bringing nutrients to plant roots, making woodchucks garden heroes. The name comes from the Cree otchek, which describes a different mammal, the weasel-like marten.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woodchuck woodchucks

My first experience with the garden-erasing capacity of a woodchuck unhinged me when I was just coming to know rural life, as a weekender.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2022

And by engineering the receptor into mice and monkeys, researchers are developing new animal models for HBV that, unlike the woodchuck, are vulnerable to the exact virus that infects humans.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 29, 2018

Tim McIntyre: Thirty-three years ago, I was a junior woodchuck at Domino’s: an editor in the communication department.

From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2018

I also keep an eye on the woodchuck, which runs like a fat man.

From New York Times ● Aug. 17, 2017

Johnny had seen the identical expression on the face of a dead woodchuck.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

These furry rodents, also called woodchucks, are in the squirrel family.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2023

Groundhogs – also known as woodchucks – are one of the Keystone State’s "most widely distributed mammals," according to the Penn State Extension College of Agricultural Sciences.

From Fox News ● Feb. 1, 2022

They roam the state, and by consuming mice, woodchucks and other rodents do far more good than harm.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 1, 2019

The Verge decided to ask the tough questions: Did woodchucks specifically target Paul Ryan?

From The Verge ● Dec. 23, 2018

And it was wonderful to see how quickly she could drive the smile to earth the way the woodchucks holed their children.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck