rug rat

noun

Definition of rug ratnext
slang
as in preschooler

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rug rat In a bid to increase his nation’s number of rug rats, Władysław Grochowski, owner of one of Poland’s biggest hotel chains, has pledged to throw a party for every couple who conceives while staying at his properties. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025 Your standard maternal protagonist is not dropping a trail of pacifiers behind her, swilling goblets of red wine the minute her rug rats are in bed, and secretly vaping in the linen closet? — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 14 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rug rat
  1. preschooler
  2. minor
  3. adolescent
  4. kindergartner
  5. schoolboy
  6. schoolchild
  7. infant
  8. newborn
Noun
  • In 1985, Lee’s firstborn, then a preschooler, died in a traffic accident.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Encourage your preschooler to be more mindful by teaching them kid-friendly meditation techniques, including deep breathing exercises, mindfulness activities, and even guided sleep meditations.
    — Heather Gowen Walsh, Parents, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of preschooler
Noun
  • Nylander tied it 19 seconds after Jaden Schwartz took high-sticking minor early in the second, the first power-play goal the Avs allowed this season.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But his reputation was dealt a grievous blow by the Epstein files, which showed that Botstein corresponded closely with the late financier for years, including after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of minor
Noun
  • Ariel Gutiérrez’s intimate coming-of-age drama examines how sudden loss can force an adolescent to confront fear, responsibility and the possibility of rebuilding a life after trauma.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Getty An island that had spent decades pairing glamour with license was perhaps the wrong place to entrust an adolescent to unusually permissive relatives.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of adolescent
Noun
  • Noah, a kindergartener at the time, also had to ride the bus with high school students, until an advocate intervened on the family’s behalf.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Palladino was a kindergartner in Brooklyn when classmates suddenly began being called over the school PA system to go home.
    — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of kindergartner
Noun
  • One picture shows a schoolboy Rogers at the Hawks’ annual presentation evening, wearing a tie in their red and blue colours.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • With the sprightly energy of a schoolboy, Jean-Paul Doron bounds into an empty creek, his red suede shoes scraping pale rocks.
    — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of schoolboy
Noun
  • Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Would that every schoolchild could stand on the grassy knoll for a quiet minute, pondering the imponderables.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
Definition of schoolchild
Noun
  • Den Haas said the infant was one of two hidden beneath bananas and luggage on a passenger bus in southern Sumatra.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Tools to identify a disrupted maternal and infant gut microbiome are already being developed, but screening without a protocol for what to do next is incomplete medicine.
    — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of infant
Noun
  • The alert included detailed clinical guidance for managing measles exposures and cases during pregnancy as well as cases in newborns.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This is the most competitive time of year for New England’s hobbyists, who describe their giant pumpkins almost like parents describe a newborn.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of newborn

Browse Nearby Words

ruggedness
rug rat
rug rats
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Cite this Entry

“Rug rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rug%20rat. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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