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to squirrel

to squirrel

9 6.7
To hide or store something in a safe place to use later
  • verb
  • /ˈskwɜrəl/
  • Informal
translation icon : guardar
  • He takes in tens of thousands in donations, and he squirrels them away in an offshore account.
  • squirrel away

Yeah, he's, he's, he's, he's squirreling.

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Examples

  • Mama had squirreled away two hundred dollars in her coffee can.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I gave it six months, squirreling away the money I made hustling games or jobs at the track.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • This is the amount that you squirrel away for next year.

  • Now we can squirrel that nut away for the winter.

  • You can bet he has squirreled some of that money away somewhere.

    Blog text (15)
  • It's also managed to squirrel away $6.5 billion in cash under the mattress for a rainy day.

    Blog text (2)
  • Well, the government is going to make sure that that money isn't squirreled away in some bank.

    Blog text (10)
  • Much of the new wealth was used inefficiently or simply squirreled away.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The extra candy got squirreled away in my room to be eaten illegally in bed at night.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • It's wise to squirrel away some money for unexpected expenses.

Synonyms

to pocket
vsto squirrel
47 3.7

To hide something quickly in a small bag sewn into your clothing

is about hiding things safely for later use rather than carrying or taking them secretly
to stash away
vsto squirrel
  • Informal
13 4.9

Put something in a hidden place to use later

is a more general term rather than this specific secret placing action
to squirrel away
vsto squirrel
  • Informal
4 5.3

To save money or things over time, often secretly

is more general and not limited to money or gradual saving
to secrete
vsto squirrel
1 8.1

Hide something carefully where others cannot find it

is more about storing for later use rather than mere concealment
to reposit
vsto squirrel
1 9.9

To put something away in a safe place to keep it

is more about secret hiding for future use than formal safekeeping

Antonyms

2.3

Show something that was hidden or secret

234 4.1

To tell people information that was secret

Phrasal Verbs

to squirrel away
  • Informal
4 5.3

To save money or things over time, often secretly

Compounds

A small animal that lives in holes in the ground and often has stripes

2 3.1

A small animal that lives in trees with reddish fur and a bushy tail

A small night animal that glides between trees using skin flaps

fox squirrel
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A large tree squirrel with a bushy tail and reddish fur

1 6.9

A large gray ground squirrel that lives among rocks in the US Southwest

A small active monkey with a long tail and dark face that lives in Central and South American forests

A small tree animal with a long tail that has black fur because of a change in its genes

6.5

A large tree squirrel from eastern North America with a bushy tail

8.5

A small reddish-brown tree squirrel from Europe and Asia with small fur tufts on its ears

A small squirrel that lives in trees in the coastal forests of western North America

A large tree squirrel with a bushy tail and reddish gray fur that lives in the eastern United States

A common medium-sized squirrel from eastern North America with gray fur and a bushy tail

A small ground squirrel with white side stripes that moves quickly in deserts

A small squirrel active at night that glides between trees using a skin flap

American red squirrel
  • Specialized
4.8

A small animal with red fur that lives in trees in northern United States and Canada

A small tree animal from Asia with fur flaps between its legs that let it glide at night

A large squirrel that lives in burrows in far northern North America and hibernates for many months

A small brown animal with black stripes on its back that lives on the ground in western North America

A large North American squirrel that glides between trees using a skin flap

8.7

A small squirrel that lives in the grasslands of western North America and digs burrows

A large ground squirrel from far northern North America with very thick fur

A small animal with a bushy tail that lives mainly in trees

A small night animal that glides between trees using a skin flap

A small animal with a bushy tail that lives in northern forests and eats spruce cones

9.9

A small woodland plant with creamy white flowers and yellow roots like corn kernels

A round wheel that small pets run in to get exercise

About the size of a squirrel

squirrel cage
  • Informal
9.0

A situation where people keep moving or working but make no real progress

squirrel-cage motor
  • Specialized
7.5

An electric motor with a round metal turning part shaped like a cage

A small squirrel from eastern North America with dark stripes on its back that stores food in its cheek pouches

western gray squirrel
  • Specialized
5.4

A large gray tree squirrel with a bushy tail that lives in western United States forests

9.5

A small ground squirrel with a white tail that moves quickly in the dry western United States

How Hidden

to hoard
45 4.8
to stow away
10 7.4
to squirrel
  • Informal
9 6.7
to hide
1.0
to put away
225 2.0

Surface Forms

squirrel infinitive
squirreled past
squirreled past participle
squirreling present participle
squirrels third person singular

Etymology

Squirrel as a verb comes from the animal's habit of hiding nuts for winter. So to 'squirrel away' something is to hide or store it in a safe place for later.