DictionaryAI

squirrel

USSKWURL/ˈskwɝ(ə)l/UKSKWI-ruhl/ˈskwɪ.ɹ(ə)l/

Pluralsquirrels

Verbsquirrels

6 meanings of squirrel

Practice

  1. 1
    tree rodentnouncountable
    A small rodent with a long, bushy tail that usually lives in trees, or any related rodent such as a ground squirrel, chipmunk, or marmot.

    A gray squirrel buried nuts throughout the yard before winter.

    Squirrels chattered overhead as we hiked through the forest.

    Note

    Here the bare word does its everyday work. Say "a squirrel" with no qualifier and listeners picture a bushy-tailed tree climber, not a marmot or a chipmunk. Those animals count as squirrels only in the wider zoological use that takes in the whole family.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Marmots and chipmunks belong to the squirrel family, Sciuridae. en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2
    stashverbtransitive
    To store something away secretly, keeping it hidden for future use.

    Like a squirrel burying nuts in fall to dig up when food runs short.

    Over the years, my grandfather had squirreled away hundreds of old letters in shoeboxes under the bed.

    Try to squirrel away a little money each month, just in case something unexpected comes up.

    UsageUsually squirrel away: squirrel money away. The past form is spelled squirreled or squirrelled.

    Similarstash, hoard, hide, store, save

    Note

    The image is the animal burying food for later, and it sits close to the hoarder, the person who cannot throw anything away. The verb names the act; the noun names the person.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  3. 3
    person who storesnouncountable
    A person who shows squirrel-like habits, such as pilfering or hoarding objects.

    The office squirrel had stashed every spare charger in his bottom drawer.

    She was a real squirrel, unable to throw away even an empty jar.

    Similarhoarder, magpie, packrat

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    get distractedverbcolloquialintransitive
    To suddenly become distracted and shift your attention away from what you were doing.

    Like a dog dropping everything to chase a passing cat.

    I tend to squirrel the moment a task gets boring, so I keep my phone in another room while I write.

    During the meeting my manager kept squirreling, jumping from the budget to her vacation plans to a video she had seen online.

    Oppositefocus, concentrate

  2. 5
    noun
    A usually derogatory term within Scientology for a person (often a freezoner) who applies L. Ron Hubbard's teachings in an unorthodox way.
  3. 6
    noun
    One of the small rollers on a carding machine that work together with the large central cylinder.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of squirrel apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Middle English "squirel," borrowed from Anglo-Norman "esquirel" and Old French "escurel," from Vulgar Latin "*scūriolus," a diminutive based on Latin "sciūrus." That traces back to Ancient Greek "skíouros," traditionally explained as "shadow-tail" (from "skiá," shadow, plus "ourá," tail). It replaced the native Old English word "ācweorna."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

  • Squirrel comes from Middle English squirel. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Middle English word was borrowed from Anglo-Norman esquirel and Old French escurel. en.wiktionary.org
  • The French forms derive from reconstructed Vulgar Latin *scūriolus, a diminutive ultimately based on Latin sciūrus. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin sciūrus derives from Ancient Greek skíouros. en.wiktionary.org
  • Skíouros is traditionally explained as shadow-tail, combining skiá, meaning shadow, and ourá, meaning tail. en.wiktionary.org
  • Squirrel replaced the native word inherited from Old English ācweorna. en.wikipedia.org