Meanings
plural rugrats · alternative rug rat · alternative rug-rat
- derogatoryhumorousin pluralslangA toddler, a young child.
So my mom, who is truly a saint, had the unfortunate job of raising three selfish rug rats, with little to no income in a town she didn't know with zero friends around.
2015, David Spade, Almost Interesting: The Memoir, HarperCollins, →ISBNSynonyms: ankle-biter, brat, bairn, brat, child, chit, crumb cruncher, crumb crusher
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA toddler, a young child.
Origin
From 1964. rug + rat, presumably from crawling on the floor.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish basałyk, kaszojad
- basałykTranslations
- kaszojadTranslations
- gówniakTranslations
Cite this entry
rugrat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugrat
“rugrat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugrat. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rugrat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugrat.
Source: rugrat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.