# hamster

/ˈhæmstɝ/ (US) · /hˈæmstɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hamster
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. the animal

noun · CEFR A2

a small furry animal with a short tail that people often keep as a pet.

For teachers: a small Old World rodent of the subfamily Cricetinae, characterized by large cheek pouches and a short tail.

- My younger brother cleans his hamster's cage every Saturday morning.
- The Syrian hamster is perhaps the most popular breed for domestic ownership due to its manageable size and solitary nature.

### 2. to hoard or store

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal

to hide or store things away in a secret place, like how the animal stores food in its cheeks.

For teachers: to store or secrete items privately for future use, analogous to the way a hamster utilizes its cheek pouches.

- During the sale, she started to hamster away extra supplies in the garage.
- Economists noted that consumers began to hamster essential goods in anticipation of the projected supply chain disruptions.

Usage: Often used as an intransitive verb or with a direct object.

Teaching tip: This verbal use is much less common than the noun and is primarily used to describe hoarding behavior.

## Examples

- The hamster runs on its wheel every night.
- We bought a large cage with several tunnels to keep our pet hamster active and entertained.
- While hamsters are popular introductory pets for children, their nocturnal nature means they are often most active when their owners are asleep, leading to unexpected noise during the night.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.