runt
an animal that is small or stunted as compared with others of its kind.
the smallest or weakest of a litter, especially of piglets or puppies.
a person who is petty and contemptible: That runt causes most of the trouble at the meetings.
British Dialect.
an old or decayed tree stump.
an old cow or ox.
an ugly old woman; hag.
Origin of runt
1Other words from runt
- runtish, adjective
- runt·ish·ly, adverb
- runt·ish·ness, noun
Words Nearby runt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use runt in a sentence
No one cared that it was the runt of the solar system, with a moon half its size.
Pluto is no longer a planet — or is it? | Lisa Grossman | October 28, 2021 | Science News For StudentsAnd by military standards and compared with everyone who was around there—he was a runt.
Manning Is Guilty and So Is the Army That Sent Him Overseas | Brian Van Reet | August 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST"Here's my authority, yuh blasted runt," he yelled, and jerked his six-shooter to a level with the policeman's breast.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairNever since I was a little runt—did I—never cried in thirty years—and here I am-leaking like a pail!
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert Parker"The darned little greasy-faced runt," he mumbled rebelliously, and immediately felt the better for it.
The Happy Family | Bertha Muzzy Bower
She had betrayed such a liking for him that the miserable runt of a Little Willie had been jealous.
What Will People Say? | Rupert HughesThat troop has a miserable runt of a fice, and he's smart the same as such pups often are.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone | Frederic Remington
British Dictionary definitions for runt
/ (rʌnt) /
the smallest and weakest young animal in a litter, esp the smallest piglet in a litter
derogatory an undersized or inferior person
a large pigeon, originally bred for eating
Origin of runt
1Derived forms of runt
- runtish, adjective
- runty, adjective
- runtiness, noun
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
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