brown rat
noun
: a common domestic rat (Rattus norvegicus) that has been introduced worldwide
called also Norway rat
Examples of brown rat in a Sentence
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Virtually all of these are Rattus norvegicus—the brown rat, aka the Norway rat—a larger and more robust species than the black rat (Rattus rattus), which arrived first on ships in the 1600s but was displaced by the brown rat in the 1700s.
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Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2025
Tragically, these giant tortoises were almost all wiped out by humans (who ate them) along with their pests, particularly black and brown rats and domesticated goats (which competed for scarce food and destroyed the fragile habitat).
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
For example, brown rats typically burrow in the ground, near humans.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
But the history, evolution and ecology of rats – particularly the brown rat – isn’t well understood.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 20 Sep. 2024
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Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2025
Tragically, these giant tortoises were almost all wiped out by humans (who ate them) along with their pests, particularly black and brown rats and domesticated goats (which competed for scarce food and destroyed the fragile habitat).
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
For example, brown rats typically burrow in the ground, near humans.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
But the history, evolution and ecology of rats – particularly the brown rat – isn’t well understood.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brown rat
Cite this Entry
“Brown rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20rat. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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