rotter

American

[rot-er] / ˈrɒt ər /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.

a thoroughly bad, worthless, or objectionable person.

rotter British

/ ˈrɒtə /

noun

slang a worthless, unpleasant, or despicable person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rotter

First recorded in 1890–95; rot + -er ¹

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.

A huge thank you to our ECR Baseball players and former Prospects athletes for giving back to the community and supporting the West Hills Baseball Trotters program!

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

Black Bostonians, a quarter of the city’s population today, were a small minority when the Trotters arrived.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 18, 2019

The refined sides: very thin slices of tasty country ham from Tails & Trotters and, recently, a summer vegetable ragout including lots of lobster mushrooms.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2019

The Trotters were level six minutes later when Matt Mills headed home.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2014

Uncle Darnell would soon go over the creek to see about the Trotters.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023