brat
Americannoun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of brat
First recorded in 1500–20; perhaps transferred use of Middle English brat “cloak of coarse cloth, rag,” Old English bratt “cloak,” from Celtic; compare Irish brat “mantle, cloak”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But she knew she would always be known as that spoiled brat she played at age 17.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
No matter how many conversion memoirs he writes, he will always be the same annoying little brat.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Born Robert Selden Duvall in January 1931 in San Diego, California, Duvall was a self-proclaimed "navy brat" due to his father's life-long career in the United States Navy.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
"The Moment" satirises the consequences of her hit 2024 album "brat", as rapacious record company executives and a film director played by Alexander Skarsgard seek to jump on the juggernaut.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
“You’re a brat? You’re an only child? Your shoes are always polished?”
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
I celebrated a rail trip across Germany, for instance, with an Oktoberfest-style meal of brats and sauerkraut purchased from my local German butcher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
The city of beers and brats was supposed to host the Democratic convention four years ago, but the in-person gathering was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
Burgers, brats and beer go along with the cornhole and camaraderie for tens of thousands of people every Saturday, a beloved tradition seen outside stadiums big and small.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
And the minute it looks as if the movie’s set to be a deft prep-school caper that pits wily brats against a lemony know-it-all, it introduces a surprise.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
“Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but die gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around.”
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
