First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1squat
verb \ˈskwät\
: to bend your knees and lower your body so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels
: to live in a building or on land without the owner's permission and without paying
squat·tedsquat·ting
Full Definition of SQUAT
transitive verb
1
: to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground
2
: to occupy as a squatter <squat in an abandoned building>
intransitive verb
1
: to crouch close to the ground as if to escape observation <a hare squatting in the grass>
2
: to assume or maintain a position in which the body is supported on the feet and the knees are bent so that the buttocks rest on or near the heels
3
: to be or become a squatter
See squat defined for English-language learners
See squat defined for kids
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Origin of SQUAT
Middle English squatten to crush, crouch in hiding, from Middle French (Picard dialect) esquatir, escuater, from Old French es- ex- + quatir to hide, from Vulgar Latin *coactire to squeeze, alteration of Latin coactare to compel — more at cache
2squat
adjective
: short and thick
squat·tersquat·test
Full Definition of SQUAT
1
: sitting with the haunches close above the heels
2
a : low to the ground b : marked by disproportionate shortness or thickness
— squat·ly adverb
— squat·ness noun
See squat defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of SQUAT
15th century
3squat
noun
: a position in which your knees are bent and your body lowered so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels
: the least amount : anything at all
: an empty building that squatters live in
Full Definition of SQUAT
2
a : a place where one squats b : the lair of a small animal <the squat of a hare>
3
: a lift in which a standing weight lifter drops to a squatting position and then rises to an upright position while holding a barbell on the shoulders; also : a competitive event involving this lift
4
chiefly British : an empty house or building that is occupied by squatters
5
slang : diddly-squat
See squat defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of SQUAT
1580
SQUATTING Defined for Kids
1squat
verb \ˈskwät\
squat·tedsquat·ting
Definition of SQUAT for Kids
1
: to crouch by bending the knees fully so as to sit on or close to the heels
2
: to settle without any right on land that someone else owns
3
: to settle on government land in order to become its owner
2squat
adjective
squat·tersquat·test
Definition of SQUAT for Kids
1
: low to the ground
2
: having a short thick body
3squat
noun
Definition of SQUAT for Kids
: a position in which the knees are fully bent and the body sits on or close to the heels
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