frat
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frat
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; by shortening
Explanation
A frat is a club for male college students. The stereotypical frat boy is a rich kid on spring break drinking beer, doing chest bumps, and crashing Daddy’s Mercedes. But of course some frat boys are very nice. Seriously, bro. The word frat is short for fraternity, and both words mean "body of men associated by common interest," from the Latin root fraternitatem, or "brotherhood." A frat will usually have their own house and a name made up of two or three Greek letters. A frat can be a close-knit community of young men who live, work, and volunteer in the community together. Some frats, however, are exclusionary societies that haze new members and throw drunken campus parties.
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.
See Examples For:
But we didn’t want to take away the party — we wanted to take away the idea it was a frat house with no rules.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
If that sounds like a 1997 frat party elevated to political abstraction, fair enough.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026
“Those groups would end up endorsing a bunch of frat bros.”
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
Last week, with the season drawing near, a crowd of frat brothers flooded onto the practice court at Galen Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025
Janae and Ainsley are being all cutesy as they walk, mostly talking about nonsense like the best campus frat parties and their white schoolmates who wear shorts and hoodies in the dead of winter.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Do you think people who are in frats will appreciate that "The Line" is authentic, even though the film doesn't paint them in a good light?
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2023
He added that frats that disaffiliate are working with professionals to create their own interfraternity council and that it would probably be operating in time for fall recruitment — which would likely include freshmen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
What do you think should be done to keep frats a safe place for young pledges?
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2020
It can also indicate ample financial support for social activities outside of frats and varsity sports teams.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2019
The other frats being represented by the devil, I suppose,” said the round-eyed boy keenly without a smile.
From Cloudy Jewel by Hill, Grace Livingston
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.
