plural sprats also sprat
1
a
: a small European marine fish (Sprattus sprattus) of the herring family
called also brisling
b
: any of various small or young fish (such as an anchovy) related to or resembling the herrings
2
: a young, small, or insignificant person
Examples of sprat in a Sentence
planning to spend their vacation at a couples-only resort where they would not be bothered by snotty-nosed sprats
Recent Examples on the Web
Some 134,000 tons of frozen pelagic fish — such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, sprats and herring — are thawed and tossed into European tuna cages every year.
—
Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 3 Apr. 2025
The area also acts as a nursery for fish like lemon sole, plaice, and European sprat.
—Lauren Lowman, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2025
Local delicacies include rye bread, sprat sandwiches, the Estonian pastry Pirukad, Mulgipuder which is a porridge of mashed potatoes and barley and Kohuke, a sweet cheese curd and chocolate snack.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
The fish’s brine perfumes the cream with warm spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, and the sprats themselves melt into oblivion after a long bake.
—Eric Kim, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
The store’s shelves are stocked with sausages, many-layered honey cake, tinned sprats from Latvia, and other Eastern European goods.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
If left to swim downstream by themselves, some of the sprats would get lost and overheated in the stagnant reservoirs behind each dam; despite screens, others would be ground up in the turbines.
—Patrick Symmes, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
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Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 3 Apr. 2025
The area also acts as a nursery for fish like lemon sole, plaice, and European sprat.
—Lauren Lowman, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2025
Local delicacies include rye bread, sprat sandwiches, the Estonian pastry Pirukad, Mulgipuder which is a porridge of mashed potatoes and barley and Kohuke, a sweet cheese curd and chocolate snack.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
The fish’s brine perfumes the cream with warm spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, and the sprats themselves melt into oblivion after a long bake.
—Eric Kim, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
The store’s shelves are stocked with sausages, many-layered honey cake, tinned sprats from Latvia, and other Eastern European goods.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
If left to swim downstream by themselves, some of the sprats would get lost and overheated in the stagnant reservoirs behind each dam; despite screens, others would be ground up in the turbines.
—Patrick Symmes, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Sprat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprat. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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