What does "squat" mean?
Squat: To sit down upon the hams or heels; as, the savages squatted near the fire.
Additional senses
- 2.To sit close to the ground; to cower; to stoop, or lie close, to escape observation, as a partridge or rabbit.
- 3.To settle on another's land without title; also, to settle on common or public lands.
- 4.To bruise or make flat by a fall. [Obs.]
- 5.Sitting on the hams or heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering; crouching. Him there they found, Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve. Milton.
- 6.Short and thick, like the figure of an animal squatting. "The round, squat turret." R. Browning. The head [of the squill insect] is broad and squat. Grew.
- 7.The posture of one that sits on his heels or hams, or close to the ground.
- 8.A sudden or crushing fall. [Obs.] erbert.
- 9.(Mining) (a) A small vein of ore. (b) A mineral consisting of tin ore and spar. Halliwell. Woodward. Squat snipe (Zoöl.), the jacksnipe; -- called also squatter. [Local, U.S.]
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00