GROUNDHOG

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does groundhog mean? 

• GROUNDHOG (noun)
  The noun GROUNDHOG has 1 sense:

1. reddish brown North American marmot

  Familiarity information: GROUNDHOG used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GROUNDHOG (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reddish brown North American marmot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

groundhog; Marmota monax; woodchuck

Hypernyms ("groundhog" is a kind of...):

marmot (stocky coarse-furred burrowing rodent with a short bushy tail found throughout the northern hemisphere; hibernates in winter)

 Context examples 

Paleontologists have discovered an almost complete skull of a previously unknown mammal that likely resembled a large modern-day groundhog and lived alongside dinosaurs.

(Scientists discover fossil of bizarre groundhog-like mammal on Madagascar, NSF)

At a time when the majority of mammals were shrew- or mouse-sized—mere shadows of dinosaurs—Vintana was a super heavyweight, estimated to have had a body mass of about 20 pounds, two or three times the size of an adult groundhog today.

(Scientists discover fossil of bizarre groundhog-like mammal on Madagascar, NSF)