woodchuck

IPA/ˈwʊdtʃʌk/
KK[wˈʊdtʃˌʌk]IPA/ˈwʊdtʃʌk/

woodchuck — noun

  • woodchucksingular
  • woodchucksplural

1. a burrowing North American rodent, also called a groundhog, with a sturdy body,

1.nounC2
Definition

a burrowing North American rodent, also called a groundhog, with a sturdy body, short legs, and brown fur

Example

Christopher saw a woodchuck eating clover beside the farm fence.

woodchuck + eat clover in a field setting

A woodchuck dug a fresh hole under Xiu's vegetable garden.

collocation: dig a hole / burrow

Common collocations
  • a woodchuck burrow
  • a woodchuck in the garden
  • a woodchuck by the road
  • two woodchucks in a field
Synonyms
  • groundhog

    the most common everyday name for this same North American animal

  • marmot

    the broader animal group; a woodchuck is one specific species of marmot

Grammar Patterns

a woodchuck

two woodchucks

a woodchuck burrow

Usage Note

Common in North American English. Groundhog is the more familiar everyday name for the same animal, while woodchuck often sounds more rural or appears in traditional sayings.

Common Mistakes

A woodchuck is a kind of beaver.
A woodchuck is a kind of marmot in the squirrel family.
woodchucks are land-dwelling rodents, not water-living beavers.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Woodchuck and groundhog name the same North American animal, Marmota monax. In present-day American English, groundhog is usually the more familiar everyday word, especially in news and school contexts because of Groundhog Day. Woodchuck has a slightly older, more rural flavor and often appears when people talk about gardens, fences, or the famous tongue-twister. Marmot is the wider zoological label for this whole animal group, so it also covers alpine and Asian species that are not woodchucks. Use woodchuck or groundhog when you mean this specific animal in North America, and use marmot when you want the broader scientific category.

woodchuck ↗groundhog ↗marmot ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • see a woodchuck
  • a woodchuck crossing the road
  • a woodchuck burrow

Prepositions

  • woodchuck in the garden
  • woodchuck by the road

Etymology

First known use

1674

1674, in the meaning defined above