woodchuck

American  

[wood-chuhk] / ˈwʊdˌtʃʌk /

noun

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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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

Example Sentences

That destructive woodchuck probably should point his pointy little teeth elsewhere.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2020

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

But the woodchuck proved to be a mistake.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple