rodent

noun

ro·​dent ˈrō-dᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
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
rodent adjective

Examples of rodent 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.
Additionally, the facility had more than a dozen rodent droppings scattered throughout, including on extra plates in the storage room and inside a cardboard box. — Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Not that those food safety shortcomings bothered rodents at The Blue Store aka Bargain Supermarket, 2901 NW 19th St. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 Bats are incredibly diverse—across all mammals, bats include more species than all but one other group, rodents, says Rachel Page, a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026 Use bulb cages or buried layers of hardware cloth to repel rodents, and try adding tree guards and fencing to fend off larger animals. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rodent

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from the base of New Latin Rodentia, order name, from neuter plural of Latin rōdent-, rōdens, present participle of rōdere "to gnaw, nibble, eat away," perhaps going back to Indo-European *Hr̥h3d-, *Hreh3d-, whence also Hittite ardu- "saw (off)," Sanskrit rádati "(s/he) bites, gnaws, cuts, opens"

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rodent was in 1830

Phrases Containing rodent

Browse Nearby Words

rode goose
rodent
rodential
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rodent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rodent. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

rodent

noun
ro·​dent ˈrōd-ᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
: any of an order of fairly small mammals (as mice, squirrels, or beavers) that have sharp front teeth used for gnawing
rodent adjective
Etymology

derived from Latin rodent-, rodens, a form of rodere "to gnaw" — related to erode

Medical Definition

rodent

noun
ro·​dent ˈrōd-ᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
: any mammal (as a mouse or rat) of the order Rodentia
rodent adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on rodent

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rodent

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