varmint
Americannoun
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Chiefly Southern and South Midland U.S.
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an objectionable or undesirable animal, usually predatory, as a coyote or bobcat.
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a despicable, obnoxious, or annoying person.
noun
Etymology
Origin of varmint
1530–40; variant of vermin (with regular outcome of Middle English ĕr before consonant ( cf. argal 2, parson) and parasitic t )
Compare meaning
How does varmint compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Varmint is an informal word that means "wild animal" or "critter." Your uncle Bob might see a mouse and yell loudly, "Get out of my kitchen, you varmint!" You won't be surprised to encounter varmints during a walk in the woods, though you probably don't expect to run into them in your bathroom or at the library. A pesky animal is most likely to be referred to this way, like a raccoon that keeps knocking your trash cans over. You can also call a human a varmint, especially if it's someone who's driving you crazy. Varmint, since the 1500's, has been an American slang version of vermin.
Vocabulary lists containing varmint
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 3
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Old Yeller
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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.
How did a creature despised as a pest and a varmint, whose slaughter was once cheered and officially rewarded by California, become a darling and an icon?
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2022
He suspected the family dog, Shep, had picked a fight with some varmint.
From Science Magazine • Jan. 13, 2022
When the researchers look and see, they say, “Crikey! Man, what an ugly varmint — it wears a garment that’s spiky! Oh, me no likey.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2020
In addition to a mini-revolver and a couple varmint rifles, Blaine keeps a 10-gauge shotgun over their front door.
From The Verge • Jun. 25, 2018
I god, Ah bought dat varmint tuh let ’im rest.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
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.
