or plural weasel: any of various small slender active carnivorous mammals (genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae, the weasel family) that are able to prey on animals (such as rabbits) larger than themselves, are mostly brown with white or yellowish underparts, and in northern forms turn white in winter compare erminesense 1a
2
: a light self-propelled tracked vehicle built either for traveling over snow, ice, or sand or as an amphibious vehicle
Verb the polite guest chose to weasel rather than admit that he didn't like the meal
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Many of the animals the dinosaur lived alongside were quite different, too, from weasel-like protomammals called cynodonts to armadillo-like crocodile relatives called aetosaurs. Riley Black, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2022 At that time, dinosaurs were just beginning to proliferate, reptiles were the most prominent and diverse creatures on land, and mammal predecessors were relatively small, somewhat weasel-like creatures. Riley Black, Scientific American, 20 July 2022 The owner's weasel of a son (Ben Foster) does not, and demotes him. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 June 2022 Horner, a game participant in the show, is portrayed as a weasel constantly maneuvering to gain favor with the sport’s governing body. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2022 Technicians with the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s wildlife division have been capturing and studying fishers since 2005, observing the weasel-like animal that is both culturally significant and rare. Justin Raystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 Meanwhile, a weasel-like animal called a fisher waited nearby, making glottal noises inside a wire trap. Elizabeth Miller, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2022 At first, Daryl finds himself on the wrong side of that privileged weakling weasel, otherwise known as Sebastian, son of Pamela Milton, who runs this town. Nick Romano, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2022 For example, there’s a yokai called the Kama Itachi, which is a kind of weasel creature that has sharp claws and flies with the wind. George Yang, Wired, 3 Feb. 2022
Verb
Elon Musk has been trying everything to weasel out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. Scott Nover, Quartz, 23 Aug. 2022 And when untrustworthy people weasel through the cracks and cause harm, secure people are less affected than the insecure. Marisa G. Franco, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2022 The Biden administration, fearing bad news in the near future, is trying to weasel away from that definition. Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 July 2022 But mathematicians have tinkered with the process, finding new ways to weasel around obstacles.Quanta Magazine, 14 July 2022 Stink bugs can weasel their ways into spaces, but often cannot figure out how to escape, thus causing a small community to suddenly inhabit your home. Natalie Schumann, Country Living, 14 June 2022 Stink bugs can weasel their ways into spaces, but often cannot figure out how to escape, thus causing a small community to suddenly inhabit your home. Natalie Schumann, Country Living, 14 June 2022 Maybe this all just an exercise in futility, and the real reason Harsin still has a job is that the school couldn’t figure out a way to weasel out of the coach’s $18 million buyout. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 11 Feb. 2022 This is not a way to weasel some internal PR into your brand, but rather a genuine method for improving your company's performance. Yec, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule; akin to Old High German wisula weasel
Verb
weasel word
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1