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runts

noun

plural of runt
as in dwarfs
a living thing much smaller than others of its kind one kitten was definitely the runt, weighing only six ounces at birth

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of runts Seek Out Small Specimens Don’t reject the runts. — Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runts
  1. dwarfs
  2. midgets
Noun
  • Watching all ten members sing at once is funny the way the seven dwarves all sleeping in their little beds next to each other is funny.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This is why a major question in the field is whether or not rocky planet atmospheres can even survive at all around M dwarfs.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of dwarfs
Noun
  • Dreyer went on to build many Indy 500 cars in the 1930s and built championship-winning sprint cars, midgets and quarter-midgets.
    — Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • From midgets to Indy cars, from sprint cars to stock cars, Stewart was at home behind the wheel.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of midgets

Browse Nearby Words

runtish
runts
runty
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Cite this Entry

“Runts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runts. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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