What does "rat" mean?
Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a pointy snout, a long, hairless tail, and a body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
Rat
/ɹæt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a pointy snout, a long, hairless tail, and a body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
- Grammar: rat is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: betrayer, tell on, aardvark, aardwolf.
- Useful contrasts: ally, conceal, hero.
- Usage evidence: He'll be sure to smell a rat if I'm with you.
How to use "rat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rat" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "betrayer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a pointy snout, a long, hairless tail, and a body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
- 2 A scratch or a score. regional
- 3 A ration. slang
"With regards to the testing of his product, the initial blood analysis had come back confirming huge, distinctive nutritional superiority for Stewart's military ration pack. Given that the policy of the British Army is to be fully ready for war at the drop of a hat, he was sitting on the potential of supplying new rats for the entire army […]"
- 4 Initialism of rapid antigen test. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 5 any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse wordnet
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
"Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads."
- 7 A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather. regional
- 8 Initialism of Rapid Area Transit. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 9 a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure wordnet
- 10 A person who is known for betrayal. informal
"Near-synonyms: rouge, scoundrel, snake; see also Thesaurus:villain"
- 11 Initialism of ram air turbine. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 12 one who reveals confidential information to the police or other authority wordnet
- 13 An informant or snitch. informal
- 14 Initialism of remote-access Trojan. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 15 a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible wordnet
- 16 A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies. informal
- 17 Initialism of relevant alternatives theory. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
- 18 someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike wordnet
- 19 A person who routinely spends time at a particular location. slang
"Our teenager has become a mall rat."
- 20 A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
- 21 A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.
- 22 Vagina, vulva. UK, slang, vulgar
"Get your rat out."
- 23 Ellipsis of muskrat. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
"The price of rats began to rise and soon after the marsh froze over, spearing rats began, which was done with a one tine three-eighths inch steel rod, with a wooden handle […]"
Verb
- 1 To hunt or kill rats. usually
- 2 To scratch or score. regional
"He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife."
- 3 give away information about somebody wordnet
- 4 To betray a political party, cause or principle; to betray someone, to desert a person or thing. intransitive
- 5 To tear, rip, rend. obsolete, rare, regional
"Ratted to shreds."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 catch rats, especially with dogs wordnet
- 7 To work as a scab, going against trade union policies. informal, intransitive
- 8 Damn, drat, blast; used in oaths.
"“But, rat me, sir,” cried Foster in bewilderment, “tis too generous—'pon honour it is. I can't consent to it. No, rat me, I can't.”"
- 9 give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat wordnet
- 10 To backcomb (hair). US
"In 1962, the higher a girl's hair was ratted the more available she was, it was simply understood."
- 11 take the place of work of someone on strike wordnet
- 12 To inform on someone; to betray someone to the police or authorities. intransitive
"He ratted on his coworker."
- 13 employ scabs or strike breakers in wordnet
- 14 desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He'll be sure to smell a rat if I'm with you."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rat"?
Common synonyms include: betrayer, tell on, aardvark, aardwolf, alpaca, angora goat.
How do you use "rat" in a sentence?
He'll be sure to smell a rat if I'm with you.
How do you pronounce "rat"?
Pronounced /ɹæt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English ratte, rat, rotte, from Old English rætt, from Proto-West Germanic *ratt, from Proto-Germanic *rattaz, *rattō (compare West Frisian rôt, Dutch rat), of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”). However, the rat may have been unknown in Northern Europe in antiquity, and the Proto-Germanic word may have referred to a different animal; see *rattaz for more. Attestation of this family of words begins in the 12th century. Some of the Germanic cognates show considerable consonant variation, e.g. Middle Low German ratte, radde; Middle High German rate, ratte, ratze. The irregularity may be symptomatic of a late dispersal of the word, although Kroonen accounts for it with a Proto-Germanic stem *raþō nom., *ruttaz gen., showing both ablaut and a Kluge's law alternation, with the variation arising from varying remodellings in the descendants. Kroonen states that this requires a Proto-Indo-European etymon in final *t and is incompatible with the usual derivation from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English ratten, further etymology unknown. Compare Middle Low German retten (“to tear, tear up”), Middle High German ratzen (“to scratch; rasp; tear”). Could be related to write. See also rit.