plural stoats also stoat
: the common ermine (Mustela erminea) chiefly of northern Eurasia and North America that is brown above and white below in summer and in its northern range all white in winter and that ranges from 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters) in length including a black-tipped tail that is usually 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches (3.8 to 9 centimeters) long : ermine sense 1a, short-tailed weasel
Examples of stoat in a Sentence
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Hunting and deforestation nearly drove the parrots to extinction, with help from cats, dogs, rats and stoats.
—
New York Times, 25 July 2025
On July 12, a pedestrian reported a dead stoat on the Rakiura Great Walk Track.
—Lauren Liebhaber
july 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2025
Take New Zealand, for example, where the Department of Conservation has spent decades removing invasive stoats, rats and possums from offshore islands.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Traps to catch rats, possums, and stoats are scattered across key parts of the urban landscape, with hundreds of locals offering their gardens as trapping sites.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stoat
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New York Times, 25 July 2025
On July 12, a pedestrian reported a dead stoat on the Rakiura Great Walk Track.
—Lauren Liebhaber
july 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2025
Take New Zealand, for example, where the Department of Conservation has spent decades removing invasive stoats, rats and possums from offshore islands.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Traps to catch rats, possums, and stoats are scattered across key parts of the urban landscape, with hundreds of locals offering their gardens as trapping sites.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stoat
Cite this Entry
“Stoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoat. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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stoat
noun
: a common ermine of northern regions especially in its brown summer coat
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