adj

squat

skwot

adj

Short and thick-set; low and broad rather than tall.

"The old cottage had a squat chimney at one end."

"He was a squat man with powerful shoulders."

verb

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

"She squatted next to the campfire to warm her hands."

"The cat squatted low before pouncing."

To do a strength exercise where you bend your knees and lower your body, often with weight on your shoulders.

"He can squat twice his own bodyweight."

"She added squats to her leg day routine."

To live in or occupy a building or land without owning it or having permission.

"The family had been squatting in the abandoned warehouse for months."

"Squatting in an empty property can still lead to eviction."

noun

Informal: nothing at all.

"He knows squat about fixing cars."

How to Use Squat

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo crouch low to the ground, to do a knee-bending exercise, or to occupy property you don't own.

Common mistake

In the US it can casually mean "nothing" ("worth squat") — that sense doesn't travel well outside informal speech.

Common pairings

squat down squat in a building do squats

squatter comparative, squatted past tense, squats plural, squats singular, squattest superlative

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The old cottage had a _____ chimney at one end.

From Old French esquatir, meaning "to press down or flatten," itself from Vulgar Latin roots meaning "to force together."