runt

American  

[ruhnt] / rʌnt /

noun

• runts
  plural

1. an animal that is small or stunted as compared with others of its kind.

2. the smallest or weakest of a litter, especially of piglets or puppies.

3. a person who is petty and contemptible.

   That runt causes most of the trouble at the meetings.

4. British Dialect.

   1. an old or decayed tree stump.

   2. an old cow or ox.

   3. an ugly old woman; hag.

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runt British  

/ rʌnt /

noun

1. the smallest and weakest young animal in a litter, esp the smallest piglet in a litter

2. derogatory an undersized or inferior person

3. a large pigeon, originally bred for eating

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• runtiness
  noun
• runtishness
  noun
• runtish
  adjective
• runty
  adjective
• runtishly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• runts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of runt

First recorded in 1540–50; of uncertain origin, perhaps from Dutch rund “bull, cow, ox”; akin to German Rind “cattle”

Explanation

A runt is the very smallest baby animal in a litter — and it's also a derogatory word for a small person. If your little brother is sensitive about his height, it would be mean to call him a runt. The tiniest piglet in a pile of baby pigs at a local farm is the runt. In animal litters, the runt often suffers from being small and weak, and is sometimes unable to get enough of its mother's milk to live. It's clear where the disparaging version of runt came from; when you call someone a runt, you're calling them a weakling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

runt runts

Turns out, the proverbial runt of the litter may have an edge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The octopus appears to be the runt of the Megaleledonidae family, whose members are normally much larger and live in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Beguiled by photos of teensy piglets, she chose the runt of the litter—a tiny, shivering nugget for $350.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

"I'd stay up with her too, making sure all was okay. And it was, with even the runt of the litter thriving."

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

“That’s true, she could, but she’s not here right now, is she? All I can see here is a skinny little runt, a daydreaming daffodil, and a giant loaf of bread.”

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

The Rams were nearly toppled by the runts, barely surviving what should have been a blowout, profusely sweating through a wild-card playoff game that should have been a breeze, and now you wonder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026

They’re largely about the desolation and pain heaped upon the runts of life’s litter, young people who barely stand a chance.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2022

With a limited budget, I had only the runts of the litter from which to choose.

From BBC ● May 29, 2021

Some are noisy and adventurous while others stick close to mom; some are born runts while others are bullies from day one.

From Scientific American ● May 22, 2013

I understand why they felt that, and why they feared for the runts, and why they were so hard on me.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz