You can absolutely use “squirrel” as a verb. Most folks mean hiding or stashing something for later, usually with “away”—like, “squirrel away money.” That little twist changes how you talk about saving, hiding, or just tucking things out of sight.
Sometimes, people use “squirrel” to describe moving or searching in a quick, scattered way. In this post, I’ll walk you through the verb’s common uses, how to change its tense, and which form sounds best in different situations. That way, you can use it naturally when you write or speak.
Is ‘Squirrel’ Used as a Verb?
People use “squirrel” as a verb when they talk about hiding things for later. It pops up in everyday conversations and in writing about saving or stashing items.
Origin and Historical Background
The verb “to squirrel” comes straight from the animal’s habit of hiding nuts for winter. English writers started using it as a verb in the late 1500s, borrowing the animal’s name to describe similar human behavior.
Early literary examples show how the word shifted from just naming the animal to describing an action. Dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary track this change and list the earliest uses. Over time, grammar guides accepted both British and American spellings for the past and participle forms (squirrelled, squirreled).
Common Contexts and Expressions
You’ll mostly hear “squirrel” in informal talk about saving or hiding stuff. People say things like, “I squirreled away cash,” or “She likes to squirrel away documents,” when they want to keep things safe and out of sight.
Writers sometimes use “squirrel” as a metaphor for secretive behavior, like “He squirrels information.” You can use it for both physical objects (money, food) and more abstract things (time, data). Most style guides suggest using it sparingly in formal writing, since it sounds pretty casual.
Key Differences with the Noun Usage
The noun “squirrel” just means the animal. The verb “to squirrel” is about the action. If you say “squirrels,” you’re talking about the little animals. If you say “to squirrel” or “squirreled,” you’re talking about hiding or storing.
Grammar shifts too: the noun gets pluralized (squirrels), but the verb changes with tense (squirrels, squirreling, squirreled). Context usually makes it clear. For example, “Squirrels bury acorns” is about animals, but “She squirreled her savings” means she hid her money.
Verb Forms and Conjugation of ‘Squirrel’
You can use “squirrel” as an action verb when you mean hiding or storing something, often on the sly. The word changes with tense and region, so pay attention to spelling and form.
Standard and Alternative Spellings
You’ll usually see “squirrel” spelled this way in American English.
For past and participle forms, Americans write “squirreled.”
British English often uses “squirrelled” or “squirrelling” with a double l.
The present participle comes in two versions: squirreling (US) and squirrelling (UK).
The base verb doesn’t change: you squirrel (present), you squirreled/squirrelled (past), and you are squirreling/squirrelling (continuous).
Pick the spelling that matches your English variety.
Present, Past, and Continuous Tenses
Use the simple present for things you do regularly: “You squirrel away cash.”
Third-person singular adds an s: “She squirrels snacks in her desk.”
For past actions, write “squirreled” (US) or “squirrelled” (UK): “You squirreled the emergency funds.”
The past participle follows the same regional split: “have squirreled” or “have squirrelled.”
Make continuous tenses with the present participle: “You are squirreling receipts,” or in UK spelling, “You are squirrelling receipts.”
These progressive forms show ongoing action and work like other regular verbs.
Squirreling vs. Squirrelled: Regional Variations
Match your audience’s dialect. Americans go with “squirreled” and “squirreling.”
British writers stick with “squirrelled” and “squirrelling.”
Pronunciation doesn’t change between these spellings, so it’s really just about how it looks on the page.
If you’re editing, make sure to switch all forms to the same style.
When you use automated tools, set them to American or British English to avoid weird mixes like “squirreling” with “squirrelled.”
Sample Conjugation Table
Here’s a quick guide if you want to form sentences in some common tenses.
-
Present simple: I/you/we/they squirrel; he/she/it squirrels.
-
Present continuous: I/you/we/they am/are squirreling; he/she/it is squirreling.
-
Simple past: I/you/we/they/he/she/it squirreled (US) / squirrelled (UK).
-
Present perfect: have/has squirreled (US) / squirrelled (UK).
-
Past participle: squirreled (US) / squirrelled (UK).
Feel free to tweak these for negatives and questions. For example, you might ask, “Do you squirrel away paper?” Or maybe, “Have you squirreled those receipts?”
