Rat
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɹæt/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Rat is a noun meaning (zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
Meaning
(zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
More Meanings
- (informal) A person who is known for betrayal.
- (informal) An informant or snitch.
- (informal) A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.
- A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
- A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.
- 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.
- (slang) A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.
Example Sentences
Our teenager has become a mall rat.
What a rat, leaving us stranded here!
He loved hockey and was a devoted rink rat.
"Ah, so you damn rat, this is a put-up job eh?"
Word Forms
- rats
- ratting
- ratted
Synonyms for rat
Depending on context, synonyms include bewray, fink, ratfink, betrayer, quisling, traitor.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include skunk, stag, blackleg, grass, crumb, peach.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.