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
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Noun
Held at Cody's, a cozy Lakeview pub, this dog-friendly fest features a German buffet (sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, brats), $6 beers, and $6 Jagermeister shots. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 3 Oct. 2025 Look who the spoiled brats are, relatively speaking. Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 Options buys the food, and a volunteer cooking crew serves up noontime and evening meals such as burgers and brats the first afternoon of the hunt, along with heartier evening fare such as pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy, ham and au gratin potatoes. Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025 Guests can enjoy German beers, brats, pretzels and festive food. Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brat. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

brat

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

More from Merriam-Webster on brat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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