woodchuck

[ wood-chuhk ]

/ ˈwʊdˌtʃʌk /

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noun

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

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Also called chuck, groundhog .

Origin of woodchuck

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

Words nearby woodchuck

woodchat, woodchip, woodchipper, woodchop, woodchopper, woodchuck, wood coal, woodcock, woodcraft, woodcrafter, woodcraftsman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use woodchuck in a sentence

And saying a hasty good afternoon, he popped through his doorway and vanished at Billy Woodchuck's feet.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
There was only one reason why Billy Woodchuck didn't exactly care to dig a new home for himself in the pasture just then.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Billy Woodchuck exclaimed, for he had heard somewhere that if you want a thing done, you should get a busy person to do it.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
And he had already turned away, as if the business were ended, when Billy Woodchuck stopped him again.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey

Billy Woodchuck soon saw that Grandfather Mole was a stubborn old fellow.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for woodchuck

woodchuck

/ (ˈwʊdˌtʃʌk) /

noun

a North American marmot, Marmota monax, having coarse reddish-brown furAlso called: groundhog

Word Origin for woodchuck

C17: by folk etymology from Cree otcheck fisher, marten

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