# squirt

Pronunciation: say "SKWURT" US /skwɝt/, UK /skwɜːt/

## Verb

1. To force a liquid out through a narrow opening in a rapid stream.
   - Simple: To push a liquid out of a small hole so it shoots out fast.
   - _Squirt a little dish soap into the pan and let it soak overnight._
   - _The mechanic squirted oil into the squeaky hinge until it swung freely._
2. Of a liquid, to be forced out through a narrow opening in a rapid stream.
   - Simple: For a liquid, to shoot out fast from a small hole.
   - _Hot fat can squirt from sausages when you bite into them._
   - _Ink squirted across the page when the old fountain pen cracked._
4. To hit someone or something with a rapid stream of liquid.
   - Simple: To hit someone or something with a fast stream of water or another liquid.
   - _Some gardeners squirt aphids with soapy water instead of spraying pesticides._
   - _The clown's trick flower squirted the front row as they leaned in to smell it._
8. To send something out, whether by giving it off, forcing it out, or excreting it.
   - Simple: To push out or give off something, such as a substance made inside a living thing.
   - _Many bacteria squirt out toxins that damage the cells around them._
   - _Her adrenal glands squirted out adrenaline the moment she heard the crash._
9. Of a female, to ejaculate, releasing fluid during sexual arousal or orgasm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: For a woman, to let fluid out of her body at the peak of sexual pleasure.
   - _On the podcast, a sex educator talked about why some women squirt and others don't._
   - _She thought something was wrong the first time she squirted, until she read up on it._

## Noun

3. A small, quick stream or jet, usually of a liquid such as water or juice.
   - Simple: A small, fast stream of liquid, like juice that shoots out of a lemon.
   - _A squirt of hot sauce gives the soup a little kick._
   - _Every few seconds the fountain sent squirts of water high into the air._
5. A small child. *(slang, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines)*
   - Simple: A little kid, a young boy or girl.
   - _Hey, squirt, does your mom know you're out here by yourself?_
   - _When I was a squirt, my grandfather let me sit on his lap and steer the tractor._
6. An annoyingly pretentious person, especially a young, inexperienced one who acts more important than they are. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An annoying person, often young, who acts more important than they really are.
   - _Some squirt from the head office showed up to explain our own jobs to us._
   - _He dismissed his younger critics as squirts who had never published a novel._
7. An instrument that forcefully shoots out a liquid in a small, quick stream.
   - Simple: A tool that shoots out liquid in a small, fast stream.
   - _The mechanic reached into the engine with a long-nosed squirt full of oil._
   - _The nurse kept a rubber squirt beside the sink for rinsing out wounds._
10. The fluid a female releases when she ejaculates during sexual arousal or orgasm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: The liquid a woman lets out of her body at the peak of sexual pleasure.
   - _On the forum, women compared notes on how much squirt they produce and when._
   - _Some couples lay a waterproof blanket on the bed to keep squirt off the mattress._
11. An act of urinating. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: One act of peeing, or letting urine out of your body.
   - _We pulled into a rest stop so everyone could stretch their legs and take a squirt._
   - _Hold my drink a second while I duck out for a squirt._
12. A short, sudden burst of noise, such as a crackle of static.
   - Simple: A short, sudden noise, like a crackle from a radio.
   - _Every time the drone passed overhead, the speakers let out a squirt of feedback._
   - _The old modem filled the room with squirts of electronic noise as it connected._

## Verb

13. To throw out or utter words rapidly, chattering foolishly. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To pour out words very fast, talking in a silly way.
   - _At every meeting he would squirt his half-formed opinions at the room before anyone else could speak._
   - _The host squirted one-liners at the audience until even the regulars stopped laughing._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A kayaking maneuver in which the boat is forced into a nearly vertical position.
- (verb) To maneuver forcefully against the current so that a kayak is pushed onto one end, nearly vertical.
- (noun) In hydrodynamics, the whole system of flow in the region surrounding a source.

## Origin

From Middle English squirten (also squyrten), of uncertain origin but probably onomatopoeic. It is akin to swirl and can be compared with Low German swirtjen ("to squirt"), Swedish onomatopoeic words for water such as skvala, skvalp, skvimpa, and skvätta, Icelandic skvetta, and Norwegian skvette.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/squirt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).