Advertisement
Advertisement
rat
[ rat ]
noun
- any of several long-tailed rodents of the family Muridae, of the genus Rattus and related genera, distinguished from the mouse by being larger.
- any of various mammals similar to or related to the long-tailed rodents of the genus Rattus.
- Slang. a scoundrel.
- Slang.
- a person who abandons or betrays their party or associates, especially in a time of trouble.
- an informer.
- a scab laborer.
- Slang. a person who frequents a specified place: gym rats.
a mall rat;
gym rats.
- a pad with tapered ends formerly used in women's hairstyles to give the appearance of greater thickness.
interjection
- rats, Slang. (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or disbelief.)
verb (used without object)
- Slang.
- to desert one's party or associates, especially in a time of trouble.
- to turn informer; squeal:
He ratted on the gang, and the police arrested them.
- to work as a scab.
- to hunt or catch rats.
verb (used with object)
- to make (the hair) appear thicker by use of a small pad of material or by teasing.
verb phrase
- Slang. to inform on:
He ratted out his partners in exchange for a lighter sentence.
rat
/ °ùæ³Ù /
noun
- informal.a person who deserts his or her friends or associates, esp in time of trouble
- informal.a worker who works during a strike; blackleg; scab
- slang.an informer; stool pigeon
- informal.a despicable person
- smell a ratto detect something suspicious
verb
- informal.intrusually foll byon
- to divulge secret information (about); betray the trust (of)
- to default (on); abandon
he ratted on the project at the last minute
- to hunt and kill rats
Derived Forms
- ˈ°ù²¹³ÙËŒ±ô¾±°ì±ð, adjective
Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms
- °ù²¹³Ù·±ô¾±°ì±ð adjective
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of rat1
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of rat1
Idioms and Phrases
- smell a rat, to suspect or surmise treachery; have suspicion:
After noting several discrepancies in his client's story, the attorney began to smell a rat.
More idioms and phrases containing rat
- like a drowned rat
- smell a rat
Example Sentences
A landmine-detecting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record to become the first rodent to uncover more than 100 mines and other deadly war remnants.
The pest controller advised residents to store their rubbish in outdoor sheds with hard floors so the rats were unable to get through.
The petition found that Red No. 3 causes cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels of the dye.
One of Japan's biggest restaurant chains is closing its outlets for cleaning, after two incidents of customers finding pests, including a rat, in their food.
When the rats come up from the sewers, he said, a tap of the sticks would make them scatter.
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse