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Definition of brown rat

brown rat

Plural:brown rats
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• noun

1

A large, highly adaptable species of rat (Rattus norvegicus) with coarse brown or dark grey fur, globally distributed and frequently found living in urban sewer systems, farms, and human settlements.

Example

"City sanitation workers have intensified their efforts to control the local brown rat population."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for brown rat

Word Nuance & Usage

Often confused with the black rat; the brown rat is typically larger, with a blunter snout and a tail that is shorter than its head and body combined.

• Nearby Words

brown blind snake
brown earth snake
brown pelican
brown rat
brown snake
brown thrasher
brown tree snake

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Brown rat. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/brown-rat
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