pack rat

¹ American  

Or packrat

noun

1. Also called wood rat.  Also called trade rat,.  a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.

2. Informal. a person who saves things that are not needed or used but that may have personal or other value.

3. Informal. an old prospector or guide.

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pack-rat ² American  

[pak-rat] / ˈpækˌræt /

Or packrat

verb (used with object)

Informal.

pack-ratted, pack-ratting

1. to save in the manner of a pack rat.

   I’m looking through the stuff my grandpa pack-ratted away in the attic.

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pack rat British  

noun

1. Also called: wood rat.  any rat of the genus Neotoma, of W North America, having a long tail that is furry in some species: family Cricetidae

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Etymology

Origin of pack rat¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of pack-rat²

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

“My father was the biggest pack rat there ever was,” he said.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022

He had known that his mother, Sandy Quimby, a half-hour away in Eagle River, was a pack rat.

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2020

I know where everything is, but I’m a pack rat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2020

He is a pack rat, and kept the original packaging.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 22, 2019

That side of meat had been a big one, but now there wasn’t enough meat left on the rind to interest a pack rat.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson