varmints

noun

plural of varmint
as in dogs
a person whose behavior is offensive to others a seedy saloon that attracts the most low-down, dirty varmints in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 varmints Moreover, the official mascots succeed in spotting various varmints — foxes and possums, to be specific, but thankfully, no vultures. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for varmints
  1. dogs
  2. skunks
  3. jerks
  4. clowns
  5. vermin
  6. snakes
  7. rats
Noun
  • After losing Noodle, Graziano spent some time fostering dogs before adopting his current pug, Milton.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The search teams from across counties, the city and the state used helicopters, boats, sonar, drones and cadaver dogs to search a nine-mile stretch of the river.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of dogs
Noun
  • Rabies is more common in bats and skunks, who occasionally transfer the deadly infection to pets.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
  • Now the skunk is saying somebody else stinks, though the smell does lead to Infantino and this FFE plan.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Definition of skunks
Noun
  • That screwed up the works / And not due to his sloppy hiring / Of a crew of incompetent jerks.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.
    — William Earl, Variety, 10 June 2026
Definition of jerks
Noun
  • One morning during my stay, there were even clowns buzzing about—a thrill to receive a balloon poodle alongside my morning flat white.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
  • Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • Repeat offenders, one of which is a retirement community, the usual vermin and an unusual amount of food thrown out for temperature violations highlight this week’s roll call of South Florida restaurants failing inspection.
    — David J. Neal July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Residents have been complaining loudly about impacts from the fire, most notably citing issues such as noxious odors, vermin, flies and rodents.
    — Tom Bray, Daily News, 14 July 2026
Definition of vermin
Noun
  • Medusa is raped by Poseidon, but because Poseidon raped her in Athena’s temple, Athena takes it as an affront and blames Medusa, cursing her by turning her hair into snakes.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • The deadliest animal to have ever roamed the earth is not the great white shark, or snakes, or even rats that caused three great plagues in history, decimating the human population at the time.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 July 2026
Definition of snakes
Noun
  • Meg Murray's hobby of crafting small rats out of soft material turned into something much bigger - a tiny neighborhood attraction where anyone can stop by and adopt one.
    — Crystal McQuay, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • In 1978, a Californian named Robb Moss, then twenty-eight, went on a five-week float trip through the Grand Canyon with a bunch of fellow river rats.
    — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of rats

Browse Nearby Words

varmint
varmints
varnish
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Cite this Entry

“Varmints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/varmints. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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