squat
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Sitting on one's heels.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skwahtIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskwɑt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Sitting on one's heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering or crouching.
Relatively short or low, and thick or broad.
noun
A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
A toilet used by squatting as opposed to sitting; a squat toilet.
A place of concealment in which a hare spends time when inactive, especially during the day; a form.
A mineral consisting of tin ore and spar.
A building occupied without permission, as practiced by a squatter.
verb
To bend deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
Occupy (a dwelling) illegally
To occupy or reside in a place without the permission of the owner.
To sit close to the ground; to stoop, or lie close to the ground, for example to escape observation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
Used this way, squat is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Exercising by repeatedly assuming a crouching position with the knees bent.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A small worthless amount.
A small worthless amount.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: sitting on one's heels
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “squat” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.