hood rat

noun

A person, especially a man or a woman, from an urban neighborhood who overtly exhibits attributes associated with inner city life, especially in both behavior and appearance.

“Let's get a couple of hood rats over for the party tonight.”

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Meanings

nounhood rat (plural hood rats)

plural hood rats

  1. derogatoryslangAfrican-American VernacularA person, especially a man or a woman, from an urban neighborhood who overtly exhibits attributes associated with inner city life, especially in both behavior and appearance.

    Let's get a couple of hood rats over for the party tonight.

    1 more example

    It is true. Carmen is an official gold digger. In fact, she is an instructor at the school of gold digging. Hood rats have been clocking her style for years. Wanting to pull the players she pulled, and wishing they had the looks she had.

    2005, Jr. Aaron Bryant, Cupid Is Stupid, page 19

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
adultererboganchambererdon juangallantlady-killerlady's manlibertinemanwhoreplayerrakerantipolerouéskirt chaserwanton

Origin

From hood (“neighborhood”) + rat. First use appears c. 1993 in the Philadelphia Tribune.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish bloker, blokers
  • blokera poor inner city resident
  • blokersa poor inner city resident
Spanish chorro, roto
  • chorroa poor inner city resident
  • rotoa poor inner city resident
  • rataa poor inner city resident
  • lobaa poor inner city resident
Cite this entry
APA

hood rat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hood%20rat

MLA

“hood rat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hood%20rat. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hood rat,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hood%20rat.

Source: hood rat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.