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.
No matter how many conversion memoirs he writes, he will always be the same annoying little brat.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
In her third season in the WNBA, the once-shining superstar is acting like a spoiled brat.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Mr. Cain convincingly proves his central thesis: that Jobs’s years at NeXT were the crucible that transformed him from willful brat to seasoned leader.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 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
I hated the fact that even though she was a brat, she got whatever she wanted.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
