runt

American  

[ruhnt] / rʌnt /

noun

1. an animal that is small or stunted as compared with others of its kind.

2. the smallest or weakest of a litter, especially of piglets or puppies.

3. a person who is petty and contemptible.

   That runt causes most of the trouble at the meetings.

4. British Dialect.

   1. an old or decayed tree stump.

   2. an old cow or ox.

   3. an ugly old woman; hag.

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runt British  

/ rʌnt /

noun

1. the smallest and weakest young animal in a litter, esp the smallest piglet in a litter

2. derogatory an undersized or inferior person

3. a large pigeon, originally bred for eating

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Other Word Forms

• runtiness noun
• runtish adjective
• runtishly adverb
• runtishness noun
• runty adjective

Etymology

Origin of runt

First recorded in 1540–50; of uncertain origin, perhaps from Dutch rund “bull, cow, ox”; akin to German Rind “cattle”

Example Sentences

Beguiled by photos of teensy piglets, she chose the runt of the litter—a tiny, shivering nugget for $350.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

"I'd stay up with her too, making sure all was okay. And it was, with even the runt of the litter thriving."

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

“Although I would not necessarily say I was the runt of the litter, I would say that I did at times feel out of place growing up,” Connor says.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024

What's special about runt is that it's highly conserved, meaning the same factor is responsible for regeneration in many different organisms, including non-symbiotic acoels.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

When I was five, I was kind of a runt.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko