1 wood rat | Definition of wood rat
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

wood rat

noun

Definition of wood rat

: any of numerous soft-furred cricetid rodents (especially genus Neotoma) of North and Central America that have well-furred tails, large ears, and a characteristic tendency to hoard food and debris on or near their dens

— called also pack rat

Examples of wood rat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 And many of the reporters who held the job later considered her the best, churning out stories on everything from backdoor political deals to disappearing wood rats. — Jenny Staletovich And Glenn Garvin, miamiherald, "Juanita Greene, pioneering environmental reporter and activist, dies at 93," 3 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wood rat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of wood rat

1763, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!