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brat

American  
[brat] / bræt /

noun

  1. a child, especially an annoying, spoiled, or impolite child (usually used in contempt or irritation).

brat 1 British  
/ bræt /

noun

  1. a child, esp one who is ill-mannered or unruly: used contemptuously or playfully

"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
brat 2 British  
/ bræt /

noun

  1. dialect an apron or overall

"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

Other Word Forms

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.

What's a megastar to do when she has defined an entire summer, produced a multi-million-selling album and even persuaded the dictionary eggheads to declare "brat" a word of the year?

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

Every holiday season, my mom likes to remind me of how much of a brat I could be during Christmastime when I was a kid.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2025

Freddie isn’t merely the petulant brat of the first Broadway production, but suffering from bipolar disorder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

Could she prevent that from happening and keep her brat summer going?

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

In short, I was the perfect little brat.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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.