SINCE 1828
brown rat
nounDefinition of brown rat
: 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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Black rats weigh in at 4½ ounces and grow up to 5 to 6 inches long; adult brown rats weigh 9 to 10 ounces and reach up to 16 inches. — oregonlive.com, "Follow these tips to keep rats out of homes and gardens," 27 Aug. 2019 Black rats weigh in at 41/2 ounces and grow up to 5 to 6 inches long; adult brown rats weigh 9 to 10 ounces and reach up to 16 inches. — Kym Pokorny, OregonLive.com, "'It's a bad year for rats' in Oregon cities: Here's how to fight them," 13 Feb. 2018 In our study, the commonest wild animal detected in New York City waters was the brown rat, a common urban denizen. — Mark Stoeckle, Smithsonian, "Scientists Can Tell What Fish Live Where Based On DNA in the Water," 13 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brown rat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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