Squat — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective noun /ˈskwät/

Meaning & Definition of Squat

Squat (verb)

  1. to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground
  2. to occupy as a squatter
  3. to crouch close to the ground as if to escape observation

Squat (adjective)

  1. sitting with the haunches close above the heels
  2. low to the ground
  3. marked by disproportionate shortness or thickness

Squat (noun)

  1. the act of squatting
  2. the posture of one that squats
  3. a place where one squats

Squat (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being compact and broad in build and often short in stature

    "a short, squat woman"

    similar: chunky, dumpy, heavyset, squatty, stocky, stout, stubby, stumpy, thickset
    related: beefy, brawny, bulky, burly, husky, sturdy, thick, thickish, weighty, chubby, corpulent, fat, fleshy, full, gross, heavy, obese, overweight, plump, portly, pudgy, roly-poly, rotund, round, tubby, paunchy, potbellied, flabby, soft
    near: delicate, fragile, frail, puny, lean, skinny, slender, slim, spare, thin, angular, bony, gaunt, lank, lanky, rawboned, sinewy, scraggy, scrawny, slight, anorexic, cadaverous, emaciated, haggard, skeletal, wasted, spindly, twiggy, waspish, weedy, willowy, wiry

Squat (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to lie low with the limbs close to the body

    "a detective squatting to examine something on the ground"

    similar: couch, crouch, huddle, hunch, hunker (down), scrunch, squinch
    related: curl up

Squat (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the smallest amount or part imaginable

    "he doesn't do squat all day long and is by far the laziest worker in the company"

    similar: beans, bubkes, continental, damn, darn, diddly (slang), diddly-squat (slang), doodley-squat, fig, ghost, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, syllable, tittle, whit, whoop
    related: ace, bit, crumb, dab, driblet, glimmer, hint, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, pin, ray, scrap, scruple, semblance, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smidgen, snap, speck, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, touch, trace

Related Entry: Diddly-squat (noun)

Diddly-squat is a different word from Squat. The synonyms below are for diddly-squat, not for squat.

  1. the smallest amount or part imaginable

    "your apology is long overdue and doesn't mean diddly-squat to me"

    similar: beans, bubkes, continental, damn, darn, diddly (slang), doodley-squat, fig, ghost, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, squat (slang), syllable, tittle, whit, whoop
    related: ace, bit, crumb, dab, driblet, glimmer, hint, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, pin, ray, scrap, scruple, semblance, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smidgen, snap, speck, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, touch, trace

Related Entry: Doodley-squat (noun)

Doodley-squat is a different word from Squat. The synonyms below are for doodley-squat, not for squat.

  1. the smallest amount or part imaginable

    "tried to act intelligent but it was painfully obvious that he didn't know doodley-squat about cosmology"

    similar: beans, bubkes, continental, damn, darn, diddly (slang), diddly-squat (slang), fig, ghost, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, squat (slang), syllable, tittle, whit, whoop
    related: ace, bit, crumb, dab, driblet, glimmer, hint, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, pin, ray, scrap, scruple, semblance, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smidgen, snap, speck, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, touch, trace

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Squat

The most common words with a similar meaning to Squat:

Slang: diddly, diddly-squat
chunky, dumpy, heavyset, squatty, stocky, stout, stubby, stumpy, thickset, couch, crouch, huddle, hunch, hunker (down), scrunch, squinch, beans, bubkes, continental, damn, darn, doodley-squat, fig, ghost, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, syllable, tittle, whit, whoop

Related Words for Squat

beefy, brawny, bulky, burly, husky, sturdy, thick, thickish, weighty, chubby, corpulent, fat, fleshy, full, gross, heavy, obese, overweight, plump, portly, pudgy, roly-poly, rotund, round, tubby, paunchy, potbellied, flabby, soft, curl up

Near Antonyms of Squat

delicate, fragile, frail, puny, lean, skinny, slender, slim, spare, thin, angular, bony, gaunt, lank, lanky, rawboned, sinewy, scraggy, scrawny, slight, anorexic, cadaverous, emaciated, haggard, skeletal, wasted, spindly, twiggy, waspish, weedy

Word Forms of Squat

Inflections: squatted, squatting, squatter, squattest

Derived words: squatly (adverb), squatness (noun)

Origin & Etymology 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 cache

First known use: 15th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Squat

diddly-squat, doodley-squat

Frequently Asked Questions about Squat

What does "Squat" mean?

"Squat" means to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground. As an a verb, an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Squat"?

Other words for "Squat" include chunky, dumpy, heavyset, squatty, stocky, stout, stubby and stumpy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Squat" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Squat"?

There are 98 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Squat". Common alternatives include chunky, dumpy, heavyset, squatty, stocky, stout, stubby, stumpy, thickset and couch.

How do you use "Squat" in a sentence?

Examples of "Squat" in a sentence: "a short, squat woman"; "a detective squatting to examine something on the ground"; "he doesn't do squat all day long and is by far the laziest worker in the company".

Is "Squat" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Squat" can be used as a verb, an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Squat"?

"Squat" is pronounced /ˈskwät/.

What is the origin of the word "Squat"?

"Squat" comes from 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 cache. First known use: 15th centuryt.

What is another word for "Squat" meaning "being compact and broad in build and often short in stature"?

When "Squat" (adjective) means being compact and broad in build and often short in stature, synonyms include chunky, dumpy, heavyset, squatty, stocky and stout.