Ratfink
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An informer or spy; a traitor. Canada, US
"The authors have facetiously labeled the contemplated musical as 'Ratfink', after the name of its central character, James J. Ratfink. Its title is not meant in a derogatory sense."
- 2 A dislikable or contemptible person. Canada, US, also, attributive
"Maxwell—or Maxie, as he was familiarly called by his once and former rat fink girlfriend—lived in a six-story walkup on a narrow street in Calm's Point, […]"
- 3 A strikebreaker. Canada, US
- 1 To inform on; to betray. Canada, US, transitive
"It led to some rather incredible and colourful claims in the submission by the union that the employers had ratfinked on previous agreements."
Example
More examples"The authors have facetiously labeled the contemplated musical as 'Ratfink', after the name of its central character, James J. Ratfink. Its title is not meant in a derogatory sense."
Etymology
From rat + fink.
More for "ratfink"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.