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# groundhog

«groundhog» in Mova's school dictionary: **a North American animal, a large brown rodent that lives…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a groundhog, groundhogs)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A groundhog is a North American animal, a large brown rodent that lives in burrows and sleeps through the winter; it is also called a woodchuck. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#m1)

2) Groundhog Day is a custom in the USA and Canada where people watch a groundhog come out of its burrow: if it sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#m2)

3) (informal) «Groundhog Day» means a situation that keeps repeating in the same boring way, from a famous film. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about hibernation and in American and Canadian culture. The weather custom is folklore, not science. Phrases: «Groundhog Day», «like Groundhog Day».

### examples

- The groundhog dug a burrow under the shed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x1)
- Groundhogs hibernate all winter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x2)
- On Groundhog Day everyone waits to see the groundhog's shadow. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x3)
- The groundhog saw its shadow, so the story says winter will last longer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x4)
- A groundhog is also called a woodchuck. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x5)
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x6)
- Every day at the bus stop is like Groundhog Day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x7)
- Groundhogs eat plants and can whistle when scared. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/#x8)

### note

Countable. Myth: groundhogs cannot really predict the weather; the custom is for fun. Groundhog and woodchuck are the same animal.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «groundhog» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/groundhog/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.