brat

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
a
disparaging : child
specifically : an ill-mannered annoying child
a spoiled brat
b
: an ill-mannered immature person
2
: the child of a career military person
army brats
also : the child of a person whose career is in a specified and typically unusual field
Hollywood brats
brattiness noun
brattish adjective
bratty adjective

Examples of brat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
There’s so much ammo in brat, so many intriguing moments that could be looped, taken apart. Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024 The richness of the brat persona and the immediacy of the songwriting turned the album into a zeitgeist event, but that massive success is secondary to the record’s idiosyncratic purview. Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024 Kamala Harris’s sudden elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket, brat summer, Elon Musk’s torrent of money into the race for Trump, the online Manosphere, far-right extremists and Trump’s win. Leah Feiger, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024 The visual splendor of the spoiled brat’s college trousseau certainly casts a cinematic spell. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brat 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps from English dialect brat coarse garment

Noun (2)

by shortening

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1505, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brat was circa 1505

Dictionary Entries Near brat

Cite this Entry

“Brat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brat. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

brat

noun
: child sense 2a
especially : an ill-mannered annoying child
brattish adjective
bratty adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on brat

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