pack rat

¹

or packrat

noun

1. Also called trade rat,. a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.
2. Informal. a person who saves things that are not needed or used but that may have personal or other value.
3. Informal. an old prospector or guide.

pack-rat

²

or pack·rat

[ pak-rat ]

verb (used with object)

, Informal.

, pack-rat·ted, pack-rat·ting.

1. to save in the manner of a pack rat:

   I’m looking through the stuff my grandpa pack-ratted away in the attic.

pack rat

noun

1. any rat of the genus Neotoma, of W North America, having a long tail that is furry in some species: family Cricetidae Also calledwood rat

Word History and Origins

Origin of pack rat¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of pack rat²

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Luckily for history’s sake, Glenn was something of a pack rat, saving everything from elementary school drawings to class papers to his post-Mercury notes about space travel — all of it housed at the John Glenn Archives at Ohio State.

From Washington Post

The pack-rat ran back to its hole and made its exit without loss of time, but Clarice sobbed aloud in hysterical fear.

From Project Gutenberg

Except at the locality in Cherokee County, the pack rat, Neotoma floridana, was found in association with the brush mouse.

From Project Gutenberg

Nests of sticks and leaves were taken apart by Metcalf, and all sign indicated only the presence of the pack rat.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a pack rat, sometimes called a trade rat, paying us a visit.

From Project Gutenberg

Then we also have the pack rat, but the pack rat does not carry things with our consent.

From Project Gutenberg