brat
Americannoun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
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
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
Doting on this brat is dangerous; a public hug would put a target on Sarah’s back.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025
Fresh from her five wins at the 2025 Brit Awards in March, Charli XCX had fans reliving their "brat summer" on Saturday, performing such hits as Von Dutch and 360 to a bumper crowd.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2025
That’s why after we’d tried a slew of other things, we found the best way to welcome new-free folks to the Settlement was to use that crying little brat, Emma Collins.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
