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
Recent Examples on the Web
Now researchers are shedding light on why brown rats are the undisputed winners of the real rat race.
—
CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Between the species, brown rat bones had a higher delta-N-15 ratio than black rats across sites, suggesting the brown rats were eating more animal protein than their smaller competitors.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
The two most widespread and infamous rat species are the black rat (Rattus rattus) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus).
—WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
The Vancouver Rat Project found that, in a typical day, the city’s brown rats stay within the length of a city block.
—WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
To get an idea of the parasite’s whereabouts, scientists studied 33 wild brown rats found dead in an Atlanta zoo between 2019 and 2022.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023
The city’s rat is a Rattus norvegicus, also known as the brown rat, wharf rat, or sewer rat.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
Unlike the brown rat, the black rat is known to have carried plague through fleas on its body.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
Perhaps in part because of this, brown rats have been found to consistently prefer rewards that benefit others, as opposed to just themselves.
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Between the species, brown rat bones had a higher delta-N-15 ratio than black rats across sites, suggesting the brown rats were eating more animal protein than their smaller competitors.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
The two most widespread and infamous rat species are the black rat (Rattus rattus) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus).
—WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
The Vancouver Rat Project found that, in a typical day, the city’s brown rats stay within the length of a city block.
—WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
To get an idea of the parasite’s whereabouts, scientists studied 33 wild brown rats found dead in an Atlanta zoo between 2019 and 2022.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023
The city’s rat is a Rattus norvegicus, also known as the brown rat, wharf rat, or sewer rat.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
Unlike the brown rat, the black rat is known to have carried plague through fleas on its body.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
Perhaps in part because of this, brown rats have been found to consistently prefer rewards that benefit others, as opposed to just themselves.
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brown rat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Brown rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20rat. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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