What does squirting mean?
Squirting describes the forceful ejection of liquid in a narrow stream, as from a faulty pipe, a nozzle, or a fountain. It can also refer to a sudden, repeated spray, and the verb commonly appears in descriptions of plumbing problems, hoses, sprinklers, and other sources of pressurized liquid. In vulgar usage, squirting is an explicit term for ejaculation. In that sense, it can be found in sexual or erotic writing, informal conversation, and blunt humorous speech, but it is unsuitable for formal or sensitive contexts. The word is a present participle and gerund form of squirt, with “squirted” serving as its past tense and “squirts” as its third-person singular present form. Although the basic image is one of liquid moving outward under pressure, the word is also commonly used metaphorically for people or objects producing a sudden, repeated discharge.
To eject or spray liquid in a thin, forceful stream; also, vulgarly, to ejaculate.
"The nozzle began squirting steam when the valve opened."
The sexual sense is vulgar and normally unsuitable for formal contexts.
Leaking or emitting liquid in a forceful stream.
"A squirting faucet flooded the sink overnight."
This participial use is especially common in descriptions of plumbing and machinery.
A single word can describe both a fountain's fine spray and, in vulgar speech, one of the body's most forceful bursts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does squirting come from?
The word derives from the verb squirt, whose origins are associated with imitative sound and the sudden movement of a small quantity of liquid. The present-participle form squirting developed within that verb's inflectional system. Its sexual meaning is a later extension based on the image of forceful discharge.
Related word forms
How squirting is actually used
The liquid-spraying sense is neutral and common. The sexual sense is vulgar and should be used only in contexts where that register is appropriate; it is often avoided in formal writing.
Easily confused with squirting
Squirt can be a noun for a small, forceful jet or a verb for ejecting liquid, while squirting is the present-participle form and often suggests a continuing or repeated spray.