packrat
2
8.4
- noun
- /ˈpækˌræt/
- Informal
:
acumulador
- Growing up, I always thought of my mom as a packrat because she kept so many items that others would discard.
Examples
-
Boxes of Neil's possessions, full of a century's worth of packrat accumulations, lay stacked willy-nilly all over the guest bedroom of Matthew's apartment.
Fiction book (1994) -
I grew up in a tiny house with a packrat father.
Blog text (23) -
You know me. - I'm a packrat, right? - Right.
-
I believe I'm still merely at packrat level, but all of us have heard stories about people who are possessed by their possessions.
Blog text (15) -
However, in our house, while hubby is more of a packrat, he can't stand stuff being "out."
Blog text (14) -
She is a packrat; worse, a sentimental packrat.
Fiction book (1992) -
We all know dressmakers are packrats, and quilters are the worst.
Fiction book (1992) -
They (his wife has passed) were packrats of the first rate. Of the 20 or so boxes I have opened so far, most did have some books in them, but also a lot of junk like broken electronics, parts of games and toys, etc.
Blog text (9) -
My grandmother is a real packrat; she never throws away any of her old magazines or trinkets.
-
As a packrat, Sarah has filled her garage with boxes of items she can't bring herself to throw away.
Synonyms
137
3.0
A person who gathers and keeps special items like stamps
18
5.5
A person who keeps many things and rarely throws them away, making their home very full
1
8.1
A person who often collects small old things other people discard
A person who buys and keeps many supplies for later
A person who collects old broken things and fixes them for fun
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Packrat for a person comes from the animal name made of pack ('to carry or store') and rat ('a small animal'). A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone who fills their home with things like the animal fills its nest, so a 'packrat' is someone who keeps too many things.