US, informal
: fraternity sense 1c
Today's progressive notions of responsible partying and political correctness have hit hard at all eighteen of Dartmouth's frats but especially so at Alpha Delta, which has always had the reputation of being the baddest house on campus.—Eric Konigsberg
—often used before another noun
frat houses/brothers
(often disparaging) a frat boy [=a member of a fraternity]

Examples of frat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The frat member then directed her to follow him to a secluded room in the fraternity house, taking her up the stairs to a bedroom on the residential floor, according to the lawsuit. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Once a member of Sway House, the frat-like content studio that dominated during the pandemic, Beck is now leveraging his roots (dancing shirtless on TikTok) for something ever-so-slightly less bro-y. — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 After the assault, Jane Doe alleges Shim left her in the room, and another frat brother blocked her friends from going upstairs to find her. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 The defensive coordinator suddenly is the subject of frat banners calling for his firing. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frat

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frat was circa 1895

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Cite this Entry

“Frat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frat. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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