desert rat

American  

noun

1. any of various small rodents, as the kangaroo rat, inhabiting arid regions.

2. Chiefly Western U.S. one who lives in the desert, especially in order to prospect for gold or other valuable minerals.

3. Informal. a soldier fighting in the N African desert in World War II, especially a British soldier.

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desert rat British  

noun

1. a jerboa, Jaculus orientalis, inhabiting the deserts of N Africa

2. informal a soldier who served in North Africa with the British 7th Armoured Division in 1941–42

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Etymology

Origin of desert rat

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

The new novel from the author of ‘My Absolute Darling,’ is a riveting read featuring two desert rat teens climbing to escape the precarity of the American Dream.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

In those days, Florence Lowe, a onetime San Marino socialite who’d become a desert rat and changed her named to Pancho Barnes, was running a bar, restaurant and motel near Muroc called the Fly Inn.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2020

“He was a living, breathing ‘hang loose’ sign, a swaggering hybrid of Zoni desert rat, SoCal hobo, and Telluride ski bum.”

From Fox News • May 22, 2020

Specifically, an Arizona desert rat, where he lived for around 18 years.

From Washington Times • Oct. 21, 2015

Sleight, sixty-five years old, is a professional river guide and desert rat with a Mormon upbringing and a reputation for insolence.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer