rat

R r

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [rat]
- /ræt/
- /ræt/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [rat]
- /ræt/

Definitions of rat word

noun rat any of several long-tailed rodents of the family Muridae, of the genus Rattus and related genera, distinguished from the mouse by being larger. 1
noun rat any of various similar or related animals. 1
noun rat Slang. a scoundrel. 1
noun rat Slang. a person who abandons or betrays his or her party or associates, especially in a time of trouble. an informer. a scab laborer. 1
noun rat Slang. a person who frequents a specified place: a mall rat; gym rats. 1
noun rat a pad with tapered ends formerly used in women's hair styles to give the appearance of greater thickness. 1

See all 35 definitions of rat

Information block about the term

Origin of rat

First appearance:

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English rat(t)e, Old English ræt; cognate with Dutch rat, German Ratz, Ratte

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Rat

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Rat

rat popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

rat usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for rat

noun rat

accuser — An accuser is a person who says that another person has done something wrong, especially that he or she has committed a crime.
ant — Ants are small crawling insects that live in large groups.
ants — any of numerous black, red, brown, or yellow social insects of the family Formicidae, of worldwide distribution especially in warm climates, having a large head with inner jaws for chewing and outer jaws for carrying and digging, and living in highly organized colonies containing wingless female workers, a winged queen, and, during breeding seasons, winged males, some species being noted for engaging in warfare, slavemaking, or the cultivation of food sources.
apostate — An apostate is someone who has abandoned their religious faith, political loyalties, or principles.
backstabber — someone who attacks another deceitfully, behind his or her back

verb rat

blow the whistle — to inform (on)
bring round — to restore (a person) to consciousness, esp after a faint
charge with — to impose or ask as a price or fee: That store charges $25 for leather gloves.
default — If a person, company, or country defaults on something that they have legally agreed to do, such as paying some money or doing a piece of work before a particular time, they fail to do it.
defect — A defect is a fault or imperfection in a person or thing.

All 61 Synonyms of rat

Matching words

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