gym rat

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableinformal

   A person who goes to the gym very often and spends a lot of their spare time exercising.

   Grammar: Countable and informal: he is a real gym rat.

   Patterns

   • a total gym rat

   My brother has become a gym rat since he joined the club.

   You can find the gym rats there at six every morning.

   She was a gym rat in college and still trains daily.

2. 2nouncountablesportAmericaninformal

   In basketball, a player who loves the sport and practices obsessively in the gym.

   Grammar: Sports sense, American usage, about basketball.

   The coach praised the young gym rat who stayed late to shoot free throws.

   He grew up as a gym rat, shooting hoops until the janitor locked up.

Word forms

Common combinations

a total gym rat

My roommate is a total gym rat.

become a gym rat

After the move, he became a gym rat.

hardcore gym rat

The trainer is a hardcore gym rat.

former gym rat

She is a former gym rat who now prefers hiking.

Synonyms and how they differ

fitness fanatic

Fitness fanatic stresses obsession with health in general, not only time spent in a gym.

bodybuilder

A bodybuilder trains to build muscle for appearance or competition, while a gym rat may just love working out.

fitness buff

Fitness buff is milder and sounds more neutral than gym rat.

jock

Jock is American slang for a sporty person and can be mildly unflattering, unlike the usually friendly gym rat.

Opposites

Word family

gym noun

a place for exercise

gymnasium noun

the full form of gym

mall rat noun

a young person who spends lots of time in shopping malls

Commonly confused: gym rat or gymnast?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gym rat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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