groundhog
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 →
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 →
3) (informal) «Groundhog Day» means a situation that keeps repeating in the same boring way, from a famous film. tree →
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 →
- Groundhogs hibernate all winter. tree →
- On Groundhog Day everyone waits to see the groundhog's shadow. tree →
- The groundhog saw its shadow, so the story says winter will last longer. tree →
- A groundhog is also called a woodchuck. tree →
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? tree →
- Every day at the bus stop is like Groundhog Day. tree →
- Groundhogs eat plants and can whistle when scared. tree →
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, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.