Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
"So... you want to have kids someday?" "Uh... well, yes. I always figured I'd have a couple brats of my own someday..." "That's still doable, you know." "I know, but the process is a lot more complicated and less intimate, and --"2012 March 2, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Mar 2, 2012:
2
Derogatory, Slang A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.
Usually negative connotation
a spoiled brat
Get that little brat away from me!
1 more example
He would never speak a word, - only eat and cry, and she hadn't the heart to strike it or illtreat the youngster either; but somebody taught her a charm to make him speak, and then she found out what kind of a brat he really was.1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 297:
3
Neologism, Slang The qualities possessed by a confident and assertive woman.
Usually negative connotation
Here are the people and the styles at the DNC that embodied the brat ethos.2024 August 23, Lauren Bulbin, Annaliese Nurnberg, “The best brat styles of DNC”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024:
Brat is being lazy until 10 P.M., at which point you construct a château using discarded scraps of pleather, finish it by morning, and immediately win the Pritzker Architecture Prize.2024 August 26, Lena Dunham, “A Guide to Brat Summer”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2024:
1 more example
My favorite touch is how each of her Nike shoes has its own little bow, which is just the perfect amount of brat.2024 August 27, Brooke LaMantia, “Naomi Osaka Is Having a Brat U.S. Open”, in The Cut, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2024:
4
Slang A child (at any age) of an active member of the military or the diplomatic service.
Usually negative connotation
an army brat
Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt, Commander of the Fourth Army, was an army “brat,” which means his father was an army officer. But he went into the army from Princeton, not from West Point.1941 June 5, Gerry Dick, “They Practiced Art of War, Then They Studied It”, in Hope Star, Hope, Arkansas, page 5:
5
BDSM, Lifestyle, SexualitySlang A submissive partner who is disobedient and unruly.
Usually negative connotation
6
A turbot or flatfish.
For the crabby awd dealers in ling, cod, and brats / And the vurgins that tempt us wi' nice maiden skyet...1843, Thomas Wilson, The Movement^([The Pitman's Pay: And Other Poems]):
The chief's daughter wears a brat and léine girdled with a criss.1961, Audrey I. Barfoot, Everyday costume in Britain: from the earliest times to 1900, page 80:
The prevailing style of dress in the early medieval period comprised a léine (tunic) worn under a brat (cloak).2005, Seán Duffy, Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia, →ISBN, page 156:
1 more example
Women wore loose, flowing, ankle-length robes modelled on 11th-century European fashion (derived from what O'Neill called the léine) and, perhaps, a brat over these.2006, Celtic Culture: A-Celti, →ISBN, page 1272:
[She] had still on the rough worsted apron of nappy homespun wool, called a "brat".1882, John Strathesk, “pp. 135”, in Blinkbonny^([The English Dialect Dictionary... brat]):
Their ſhoulders broad, for complet armour fit, Their lims more large and of a bigger ſize Than all the brats yſprong from Typhons loins:c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
They are your Will-Worship-men, your Prelates Brats: Take the whole Litter of’um, and you’ll finde never a barrel better Herring.1680, Roger L'Estrange, Citt and Bumpkin:
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
1
BDSM, Lifestyle, Sexuality To act in a bratty manner as the submissive.
Ruthie was Ed's own submissive, a short, pretty, feisty ash-blonde New York City native who combined her submission to Ed with a good deal of mischievous bratting and a lot of sharp, intelligent conversation […]2021, Ardie Stallard, Switch: A Tale of Spanking, BDSM & Romance:
Rather, Ana moves between playful bratting and a type of “conquer me” wantedness that good Dominants would respond to with increased control and correction.2020, Jessica M. Kratzer, Communication in Kink, page 43:
brat
adj
Etymology
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
1
Neologism Characteristic of a confident and assertive woman.
Briefly popular in 2024; otherwise rare; briefly popular in 2024; otherwise rare
kamala IS brat2024 July 21, @charli_xcx [Charli XCX], Twitter, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2024:
Starmer's Tory predecessors Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss were identified as brat by 15 percent each of those asked.2024 August 13, Noah Keate, “It's official: Boris Johnson is brat”, in Politico, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2024:
4 more examples
Kamala Harris herself was anointed as "brat" the moment that Joe Biden stepped down, but already Harris's mother – who had Indian heritage and raised Harris as a single parent – has been declared the uberbrat, more brat than even her daughter.2024 August 26, Nesrine Malik, “'Brat' Kamala or 'dragon mother' Pelosi? This meme machine is a risky strategy in a high-stakes election”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2024:
[see title]2025 May, Austin Ulmer, Ideology Is Brat: Popular Music As Discourse in the 2024 US Presidential Election:
'[…] is brat’ was applied to a host of different entities. The latter reached its height when Charli XCX herself tweeted in July 2024 that US presidential candidate ‘kamala [Harris] IS brat', upon […]2026, L. Bendfeldt, Peace is brat: NATO, digital militarism, and the absurd:
Habeck later reposted fan‐made videos using slogans like “Green is brat,” demonstrating bottom‐up to top‐down incorporation.2026, M Bösch, “TikTok Edits, Vibes, Audio Memes: Participatory Propaganda in the 2025 German Federal Election Campaign”, in Media and Communication:
There are many people loitering, eating ice cream, talking, eating brats.2020, Brandon Taylor, Real Life, Daunt Books Originals, page 267:
What’s the can’t-miss food? / Brat or sausage. […] — Tom G.2024 September 1, Matt Schneidman, The Athletic Staff, “Lambeau Field guide: What to know about the Green Bay Packers’ home stadium”, in The Athletic, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Sep 2024:
brat
noun
1
Business, Mining A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime.