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rat terrier

American  

noun

  1. a terrier of any of several breeds developed especially for catching rats, as the Manchester terrier.


Etymology

Origin of rat terrier

First recorded in 1850–55

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:

“I don’t know anyone who could contest that she is the strongest rat terrier in the world,” says Quinn.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 20, 2025

Phoebe Yung of Brooklyn adopted a pandemic pup, a rat terrier named Moose.

From Seattle Times Dec. 19, 2022

I just did the ancestry thing, and she’s mainly Australian shepherd, Chihuahua and rat terrier.

From New York Times Sep. 24, 2021

A miniature Chihuahua and rat terrier mix, Midge joined the Sheriff’s Office in early 2006 as a pup, from a litter owned by a department employee.

From Washington Times Apr. 19, 2021

My dog is a rat terrier named Jack.

From Book of Etiquette Volume I by Eichler, Lillian

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