brat
Brat (noun) means a child, especially one seen as spoiled, unruly, or badly behaved. Example: “The waiter sighed as the brat threw his food on the floor.”
How to use brat
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA disapproving word for a badly behaved or spoiled child (or someone acting like one).
Informal and mildly negative; can also be used affectionately about a mischievous child.
Word forms
- Plural
- brats
- Third person singular
- brats
- Past tense
- bratted
- Comparative
- more brat
- Superlative
- most brat
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The waiter sighed as the _____ threw his food on the floor.
Etymology
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
