What does RAT mean?

Definitions for RAT
rætrat

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word RAT.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. ratnoun

    any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

  2. scab, strikebreaker, blackleg, ratnoun

    someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike

  3. rotter, dirty dog, rat, skunk, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, lowlife, scum bag, so-and-so, gitnoun

    a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible

    "only a rotter would do that"; "kill the rat"; "throw the bum out"; "you cowardly little pukes!"; "the British call a contemptible person a `git'"

  4. informer, betrayer, rat, squealer, blabbernoun

    one who reveals confidential information in return for money

  5. ratverb

    a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure

  6. ratverb

    desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage

  7. ratverb

    employ scabs or strike breakers in

  8. fink, scab, rat, blacklegverb

    take the place of work of someone on strike

  9. ratverb

    give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat

  10. ratverb

    catch rats, especially with dogs

  11. denounce, tell on, betray, give away, rat, grass, shit, shop, snitch, stagverb

    give away information about somebody

    "He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam"

GCIDE

  1. Ratnoun

    (Zool.) One of several species of small rodents of the genus Rattus (formerly included in Mus) and allied genera, of the family Muridae, distinguished from mice primarily by being larger. They infest houses, stores, and ships, especially the Norway rat, also called brown rat, (Rattus norvegicus formerly Mus decumanus), the black rat (Rattus rattus formerly Mus rattus), and the roof rat (formerly Mus Alexandrinus, now included in Rattus rattus). These were introduced into America from the Old World. The white rat used most commonly in laboratories is primarily a strain derived from Rattus rattus.

  2. Ratverb

    To be an informer (against an associate); to inform (on an associate); to squeal; -- used commonly in the phrase to rat on.

Wiktionary

  1. ratnoun

    Any of about 56 different species of small, omnivorous rodents belonging to the genus Rattus.

  2. ratnoun

    A term indiscriminately applied to numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.

  3. ratnoun

    A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel.

    What a rat, leaving us stranded here!

  4. ratnoun

    An informant or snitch

  5. ratnoun

    A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.

  6. ratnoun

    Scab

  7. ratnoun

    North West London slang term for vagina, as in get your rat out.

  8. ratnoun

    A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.

  9. ratverb

    to betray someone and tell their secret to an authority or an enemy; to turn someone in, bewray.

  10. ratverb

    To kill rats.

  11. Etymology: From rat, rotte, from ræt, from rattaz (cf. West Frisian rôt, Dutch rat, German dialect Ratz), from Hreh₃d- (cf. Welsh rhathu ‘to grate, rasp’, rodo, rostrum ‘beak, prow’, Middle Persian ‘to scrape, smooth’, Sanskrit ‘he gnaws, cuts’).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Ratnoun

    An animal of the mouse kind that infests houses and ships.

    Etymology: ratte, Dutch; rat, Fr. ratta, Spanish.

    Our natures do pursue,
    Like rats that ravin down their proper bane. William Shakespeare.

    Make you ready your stiff bats and clubs,
    Rome and her rats are at the point of battle. William Shakespeare.

    I have seen the time, with my long sword I would have made you four tall fellows skip like rats. William Shakespeare.

    Thus horses will knable at walls, and rats will gnaw iron. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

    If in despair he goes out of the way like a rat with a dose of arsenick, why he dies nobly. John Dennis.

Wikipedia

  1. Rat

    Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus. Other rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats). Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size. Usually the common name of a large muroid rodent will include the word "rat", while a smaller muroid's name will include "mouse". The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. There are 56 known species of rats in the world.

ChatGPT

  1. rat

    A rat is a small or medium-sized rodent species, typically characterized by a long tail and sharp teeth used for gnawing. They belong to the superfamily Muroidea and are found worldwide. Rats are often associated with dirt and disease due to their tendency to live in human habitations and their role in spreading plagues. There are many species of rats, including the common types like brown rat and black rat. Despite their bad reputation, they are also used as laboratory animals for testing in the field of biology and psychology, and can make intelligent and affectionate pets.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Ratnoun

    one of several species of small rodents of the genus Mus and allied genera, larger than mice, that infest houses, stores, and ships, especially the Norway, or brown, rat (M. decumanus), the black rat (M. rattus), and the roof rat (M. Alexandrinus). These were introduced into America from the Old World

  2. Ratnoun

    a round and tapering mass of hair, or similar material, used by women to support the puffs and rolls of their natural hair

  3. Ratnoun

    one who deserts his party or associates; hence, in the trades, one who works for lower wages than those prescribed by a trades union

  4. Ratverb

    in English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union

  5. Ratverb

    to catch or kill rats

  6. Etymology: [AS. rt; akin to D. rat, OHG. rato, ratta, G. ratte, ratze, OLG. ratta, LG. & Dan. rotte, Sw. rtta, F. rat, Ir. & Gael radan, Armor. raz, of unknown origin. Cf. Raccoon.]

Wikidata

  1. Rat

    Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats, and share many characteristics with true rats. Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large muroid rodents, while mice are generally small muroid rodents. The muroid family is very large and complex, and the common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Generally, when someone discovers a large muroid, its common name includes the term rat, while if it is small, the name includes the term mouse. Scientifically, the terms are not confined to members of the Rattus and Mus genera, for example, the pack rat and cotton mouse.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Rat

    rat, n. an animal of the genus Mus, larger and more destructive than the mouse: a renegade, turncoat: a workman who accepts lower than the authorised wages, who declines to join in a strike, or who takes a striker's work: a roll of anything used to puff out the hair which is turned over it.—v.i. (coll.) to desert one's party and join their opponents for gain or power: to take lower than current wages, to refuse to join in a strike, to take a striker's place:—pr.p. rat′ting; pa.p. and pa.t. rat′ted.ns. Rat′-catch′er, one whose business it is to catch rats; Rat′-catch′ing; Rat′-hole (print.), a pigeon-hole; Rat′-pit, an enclosure where rats are killed; Rat′-poi′son, a preparation of arsenic; Rat's′-bane, poison for rats: arsenious acid; Rat′-tail, an excrescence growing on a horse's leg.—adj. Rat′-tailed, having a tail like a rat.—ns. Rat′ter, a terrier which catches rats; Rat′tery, apostasy; Rat′ting, deserting one's principles: working for less than the usual prices: setting a dog to kill rats in a pit; Rat′-trap, a trap for catching rats.—Rat-tailed larva, the larva of certain syrphid flies.—Smell a rat, to have a suspicion. [A.S. ræt; Ger. ratte.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. rat

    A term for one who changes his party for interest: from rats deserting vessels about to sink. These mischievous vermin are said to have increased after the economical expulsion of cats from our dockyards. Thus, in the petition from the ships-in-ordinary, to be allowed to go to sea, even to carry passengers, we read:-- "Tho' it was hemigrants or sodgers-- Anything afore them rats, Which now they is our only lodgers; For well they knows, the artful dodgers, The Board won't stand th' expense of cats." Injury done by rats is not included in a policy of insurance. Also, a rapid stream or race, derived from sharp rocks beneath, which injure the cable.

Rap Dictionary

  1. ratverb

    To betray. "Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?" -- Genius (4th chamber)

  2. ratverb

    A snitch.

Suggested Resources

  1. rat

    Song lyrics by rat -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by rat on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. RAT

    What does RAT stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the RAT acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. RAT

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rat is ranked #146201 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Rat surname appeared 113 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Rat.

    60.1% or 68 total occurrences were White.
    20.3% or 23 total occurrences were Asian.
    15% or 17 total occurrences were Black.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'RAT' in Nouns Frequency: #1603

Anagrams for RAT »

  1. art

  2. Art

  3. RTA

  4. tar

  5. tra

How to pronounce RAT?

How to say RAT in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of RAT in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of RAT in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of RAT in a Sentence

  1. Kurt Russell:

    They took me on and allowed me to kind of pursue my dream of learning how to make wine and becoming a cellar rat and getting involved with the winery.

  2. Dane Phillips:

    It was not a one-off, the narrow streets in Whitecross in Hereford are used as rat-runs by drivers looking to get in and out of the city, it could have been a child that was hit. It was a big car and it could easily have been a fatal accident. Id just like to raise awareness, in the hope that this doesnt happen to anyone else.

  3. Darryl Clinton:

    I don't really want to be in the whole rat race thing, and I can escape that here.

  4. Director Comey:

    This is the President of the United States calling a witness, who has cooperated with Justice Department a rat, we have to stop being numb to it ; whether you're Republican or Democrat, stand on your feet, overcome your shame and say something.

  5. No Kyrgios:

    No Kyrgios match's not No Kyrgios match to rat on me.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

RAT#1#5910#10000

Translations for RAT

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for RAT »

Translation

Find a translation for the RAT definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"RAT." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/RAT>.

Discuss these RAT definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for RAT? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    RAT

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    anything that provides inspiration for later work
    A arborolatry
    B secession
    C germ
    D concoction

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for RAT: