1
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the drug mule refused to turn rat without a guarantee of immunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in lover
someone who regularly spends time in a particular place
on Friday night the mall rats were out in full force
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
no one can understand what she finds appealing in a rat like him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to leak
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of rat
Elizabeth Carlen, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
The other legislation, Senate Bill 9, included several climate-resiliency measures along with tougher restrictions on the use of rat poisons and class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025
Humans hate navigating a rat maze and having robots talk at them.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Also known as the Andalusian terrier, these dogs were bred to help protect vineyard wine cellars from potential rat infestations.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rat
Verb
Starting in 1958, for instance, the Chinese Communist Party led a movement to eliminate four species that were considered pests: rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows.
—Elizabeth Carlen, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
The other legislation, Senate Bill 9, included several climate-resiliency measures along with tougher restrictions on the use of rat poisons and class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025
Humans hate navigating a rat maze and having robots talk at them.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Also known as the Andalusian terrier, these dogs were bred to help protect vineyard wine cellars from potential rat infestations.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat
Noun
-
Late last month, the Justice Department revealed that the cartel hired hacker who was able to infiltrate phone data and Mexico City's surveillance cameras to help track and kill FBI informants.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 July 2025
-
Then, in 1984, an informant revealed that a contract had been taken out on the life of a blond woman.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
On the hunt for the key to a country music lover’s heart?—
Ramal Nasim
July 25,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
-
Beach lovers should check out Britannia Beach and then continue to drive north towards Sea to Sky Gondola.—
Miriam Porter,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Tragic is the sight of a young boy on his knees using his hands to scrape together grain which must have leaked from sacks, so far unnoticed by others.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
-
If your throat, tonsils, esophagus, stomach, or intestines are impaled by the bristle, your gastrointestinal contents can leak out, potentially leading to an infection in the neck, chest, or abdomen.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Over the past eight decades, the CCP has constructed a vast network of millions of informers and spies whose often unpaid work has been critical to the regime’s survival.—
Minxin Pei,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Feb. 2024
-
The Nazis set up secret squads in the camps to conduct beatings and killings of prisoners thought to be too friendly with U.S. officials or were accused of being informers.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
On the final night of the convention, two of the stars who also happen to be incredibly talented musicians, treated fans to an intimate concert in a local venue on the square, Canopy + The Roots.—
Rebecca Angel Baer,
Southern Living,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The Last of Us may have dozens of Emmy nominations but fans there have really laid into the show, especially in season 2.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.—
cleveland,
cleveland,
13 Sep. 2023
-
Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.—
Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam,
Anchorage Daily News,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
Read the instructions on the label or talk with your doctor to decide which dose is best for you.—
Health,
Health,
25 July 2025
-
Creating a budget and talking to kids about needs versus wants can help families feel more in control.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
25 July 2025
Noun
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But as Malik Rahim puts it, New Orleans was just the canary in the American coal mine.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
-
But the small-cap Russell 2000, the canary in the coal mine, and the old economy industrials, the DJIA, appear to be singing from a different hymn book.—
Robert Barone,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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