brat

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈbrat 

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

ˈbra-tē-nəs 

noun

brattish

ˈbra-tish 

adjective

bratty

ˈbra-tē 

adjective

brat

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈbrät  ˈbrat 

: bratwurst

Examples of brat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Progressives are once again throwing a temper tantrum, acting like spoiled brats who can’t have another cookie. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026

No defensiveness in his voice — just the most relaxed kind of confidence, a sexy brat with zero shame. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026

Their deer came in the form of brats made into sausage by a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, butcher. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026

The Navy brat joined the Army in 1953, emerged as a Private First Class, and hit New York in the winter of 1955 to begin studying at Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner. —Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for brat

• at
• bat
• batt
• cat
• chat
• fat
• flat
• gat
• gnat
• hat
• kat
• mat

Kids Definition

brat

noun

ˈbrat 

: child sense 2a

especially : an ill-mannered annoying child

brattish

ˈbrat-ish 

adjective

bratty

ˈbrat-ē 

adjective