rat race

R r

Transcription

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

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

Definitions of rat race words

noun rat race any exhausting, unremitting, and usually competitive activity or routine, especially a pressured urban working life spent trying to get ahead with little time left for leisure, contemplation, etc. 1
noun rat race work life: competitive, routine 1
singular noun rat race If you talk about getting out of the rat race, you mean leaving a job or way of life in which people compete aggressively with each other to be successful. 0
noun rat race a continual routine of hectic competitive activity 0
noun rat race a mad scramble or intense competitive struggle, as in the business world 0

See all 5 definitions of rat race

Information block about the term

Origin of rat race

First appearance:

before 1935

One of the 8% newest English words

An Americanism dating back to 1935-40

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Rat race

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Rat race

rat race popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 46% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 54% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

rat race usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for rat race

noun rat race

backbreaker — a wrestling hold in which a wrestler uses his knee or shoulder as a fulcrum to bend his opponent's body backwards
big game — Large wild animals such as lions and elephants that are hunted for sport are often referred to as big game.
biz — Biz is sometimes used to refer to the entertainment business, especially pop music or films.
calling — A calling is a profession or career which someone is strongly attracted to, especially one which involves helping other people.
competition — Competition is a situation in which two or more people or groups are trying to get something which not everyone can have.

All 19 Synonyms of rat race