noun
varmint
VAH-mihnt
noun
1
A wild animal considered a pest, especially one that threatens crops or livestock.
"The rancher set traps for the varmints raiding the henhouse."
2
An annoying or troublesome person, often used humorously.
""You little varmint," he laughed, chasing his grandson around the yard."
How to Use Varmint
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA varmint is a pest animal — or, jokingly, a mischievous person — and the word has a distinctly rural, folksy feel.
When to use it
Informal and regional, strongly associated with American rural or Western speech.
Word Forms
varmints plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “varmint”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The rancher set traps for the _____ raiding the henhouse.
Etymology
A dialect variant of "vermin," which traces back to Latin vermis, "worm." It became strongly associated with rural American English, especially in hunting contexts.