Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, short-tailed rodent belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, characterized by large cheek pouches used for carrying food. Hamsters are often kept as pets.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The child gently held the golden hamster in her hands.
  • In the wild, a hamster will store food in its cheek pouches to carry back to its burrow.
  • We need to buy a larger cage for our pet hamster.

Advanced Usage

• "To hamster away": An informal verb phrase meaning to hoard or store things, often excessively, drawing a comparison to the animal's behavior.
  • During the sales, she tends to hamster away canned goods in the pantry.

Variants and Related Words

• Hamster wheel (noun phrase): A revolving wheel used as an exercise device for captive hamsters and other small rodents; often used metaphorically for a monotonous, repetitive routine.
  • He felt like he was on a hamster wheel, doing the same tasks every day.

Synonyms

• Rodent: A broader category of mammals to which hamsters belong, characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors.
• Cricetid: A member of the family Cricetidae, which includes hamsters, voles, and lemmings.

Related Phrases

• "Like a hamster on a wheel": An idiom describing someone who is very busy but not making any real progress.
  • Trying to keep up with all the emails, I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

Noun

1. short-tailed Old World burrowing rodent with large cheek pouches