Ratline
//ˈɹætlɪn// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The rope or similar material used to make cross-ropes on a ship. uncountable
- 2 (nautical) a small horizontal rope between the shrouds of a sailing ship; they form a ladder for climbing aloft wordnet
- 3 Any of the cross ropes between the shrouds, which form a net-like ropework, allowing sailors to climb up towards the top of the mast.
"[H]e laid hold of the first ratline with his right hand, then sprung to the second, with his left, and so on alternately, right and left, up to the last, close to the futtock shrouds."
- 4 A system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe in the aftermath of World War II. historical, in-plural, often
"Marc Masurovsky, of the European Shoah Legacy Institute, has a remarkable knowledge of the Nazi ratlines and Allied intelligence."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"[H]e laid hold of the first ratline with his right hand, then sprung to the second, with his left, and so on alternately, right and left, up to the last, close to the futtock shrouds."
Etymology
Apparently a corruption of raddling by folk-etymological reanalysis as rat + line.
Related phrases
More for "ratline"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.