rodent
noun
ro·dent
| \ ËrĆ-dá”nt
\
\
Definition of rodent
1
: any of an order (Rodentia) of relatively small gnawing mammals (such as a mouse, squirrel, or beaver) that have in both jaws a single pair of incisors with a chisel-shaped edge
2
: a small mammal (such as a rabbit or a shrew) other than a true rodent
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of rodent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Leaving their dirty bowls or food out can attract many different types of rodents and insects. — Leah Napoliello, Houston Chronicle, "BBB on Homes: Home pest control takes center stage," 31 Aug. 2019 Having pets larger than a small rodent makes this more difficult. — Marlo Safi, National Review, "The American Art of Obsessing over Your Pets," 24 Aug. 2019 Instead, look for someone who may want a barn cat or a business who may want a shop cat to handle rodents in exchange for feeding and sheltering the feline. — Cathy M. Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Pet World: A vet who does house calls may help reduce petâs fear," 23 Aug. 2019 The researchers, based in Australia, convicted dogs in the extinction of 11 species and declared them the third-most-damaging mammal, behind only cats and rodents. — Anchorage Daily News, "The dog is one of the worldâs most destructive mammals. Brazil proves it.," 21 Aug. 2019 Much of what scientists know about how air pollution affects the brain is from studies performed on dogs and rodents. — National Geographic, "Air pollution linked to bipolar disorder, depression," 20 Aug. 2019 The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, often infects small rodents like rats, mice, and in the most recent incident in Colorado, prairie dogs. — Morgan Krakow, BostonGlobe.com, "Plague-infected prairie dogs prompt shutdown of wildlife refuges in Colorado," 18 Aug. 2019 In the course of fixing a mysterious leak in her bathroom last fall, a plumber left a gaping hole in the drywall behind her toilet, allowing roaches and rodents to invade Ralphâs apartment. — Danielle Ohl, ProPublica, "Trump Called Baltimore âVermin Infestedâ While the Federal Government Fails to Clean Up Rodents in Subsidized Housing," 14 Aug. 2019 Brothers inherit a dilapidated mansion inhabited by a resourceful rodent that refuses to leave. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rodent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for rodent
rodent
noun
English Language Learners Definition of rodent
: a small animal (such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver) that has sharp front teeth
See the full definition for rodent in the English Language Learners Dictionary
rodent
noun
ro·dent
| \ ËrĆ-dá”nt
\
\
Kids Definition of rodent
: a usually small mammal (as a squirrel, rat, mouse, or beaver) with sharp front teeth used in gnawing
rodent
noun
ro·dent
| \ ËrĆd-á”nt
\
\
Medical Definition of rodent
: any mammal (as a mouse or rat) of the order Rodentia
Keep scrolling for more