Meaning & use

squat

verb·Everyday

Last updated

To crouch down close to the ground by bending the knees.

See it in a sentence

He squatted down to retie his shoe.

The cat squatted low, ready to pounce on the toy mouse.

A note on using this word

As a noun, 'squat' also names the strength-training exercise; as an adjective, it describes something short and thick, as in 'a squat stone cottage.'

Words with a similar meaning

crouchhunker

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

stand

Another way to use it

2. verb

To occupy an empty or abandoned building or piece of land without permission.

Homeless families began to squat in the abandoned factory.

3. adjective

(of a building or structure) Low and disproportionately wide; short and thick.

A squat stone cottage sat at the end of the lane.

Make it your own

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