brown rat

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noun

Norway rat.

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Origin of brown rat

First recorded in 1820–30

Words nearby brown rat

brownout, brown owl, brown paper, brown patch, brownprint, brown rat, brown recluse spider, brown rice, brown rot, brown sauce, brown seaweed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use brown rat in a sentence

There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They became so brown and shriveled that they looked like walking beef jerky with New York accents.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The smell of grilled meat mixes with the exotic wafts of cinnamon tea served with a mush of sweet brown dessert.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Supreme Court eventually stepped in and ended legal segregation in the landmark 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education.
The ‘No Child’ Rewrite Threatens Your Kids’ Future|Jonah Edelman|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Estee Lauder has not crumbled to dust because the perfect brown face of Joan Smalls represents it.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
"There's just one thing I'd like to ask, if you don't mind," said Cynthia, coming suddenly out of a brown study.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
It separates into three layers upon standing—a brown deposit, a clear fluid, and a frothy layer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I pictured him as slim and young looking, smooth-faced, with golden curly hair, and big brown eyes.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Mr. Brown seizes the proffered member, and gives it as hearty a pressure as the publicity of the occasion will permit.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

British Dictionary definitions for brown rat

brown rat

noun

a common brownish rat, Rattus norvegicus : a serious pest in all parts of the worldAlso called: Norway rat

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