weasel
weasel Lexical Profile
weasel Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, slender, carnivorous mammal of the genus Mustela, native to Eurasia and the Americas, characterized by a long body, short legs, and a coat that often turns white in winter.
"The farmer spotted a weasel darting quickly across the yard to hunt for mice near the barn."
A sneaky, untrustworthy, or deceitful person.
"He proved to be a weasel when he secretly took credit for his colleague's hard work."
• verb
To evade an obligation, duty, or commitment through sneaky or deceitful means (usually followed by 'out').
"She managed to weasel out of doing the heavy lifting by feigning a back injury."
To achieve a goal or manipulate a situation through cunning, flattery, or deceit (usually followed by 'into' or 'one's way').
"The ambitious junior executive tried to weasel his way into the exclusive board meeting."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'weasel' is almost exclusively used with prepositions in phrasal constructions, most commonly 'weasel out' (to evade) or 'weasel into' (to deceptively infiltrate).
• Rhymes for weasel
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'weosule' or 'wesle', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'wezel' and German 'Wiesel', likely derived from an Indo-European root meaning 'to move quickly' or 'to glide'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.