rat

rat  (rt)

n.

1.

a. Any of various long-tailed rodents resembling mice but larger, especially one of the genus Rattus.

b. Any of various animals similar to one of these long-tailed rodents.

2. Slang

a. A despicable person, especially one who betrays or informs upon associates.

b. A scab laborer.

3. A pad of material, typically hair, worn as part of a woman's coiffure to puff out her own hair.

v. rat·ted, rat·ting, rats

v.intr.

1. To hunt for or catch rats, especially with the aid of dogs.

2. Slang To betray one's associates by giving information: ratted on his best friend to the police.

3. Slang To work as a scab laborer.

v.tr.

To puff out (the hair) with or as if with a pad of material.

---

[Middle English, from Old English ræt; see rd- in Indo-European roots.]

---

rat

Noun

1. a long-tailed rodent, similar to but larger than a mouse

2. Informal someone who is disloyal or treacherous

3. smell a rat to detect something suspicious

Verb

[ratting, ratted]

1. rat on

a. to betray (someone): good friends don't rat on each other

b. to go back on (an agreement): his ex-wife claims he ratted on their divorce settlement

2. to hunt and kill rats [Old English ræt]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	rat - any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse gnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing pocket rat - any of various rodents with cheek pouches brown rat, Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus - common domestic rat; serious pest worldwide black rat, Rattus rattus, roof rat - common household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide bandicoot rat, mole rat - burrowing scaly-tailed rat of India and Ceylon jerboa rat - large Australian rat with hind legs adapted for leaping Oryzomys palustris, rice rat - hardy agile rat of grassy marshes of Mexico and the southeastern United States
	2.	rat - someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike blackleg, scab, strikebreaker worker - a person who works at a specific occupation; "he is a good worker"
	3.	rat - 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'" dirty dog, git, lowlife, puke, rotter, scum bag, skunk, so-and-so, stinker, stinkpot, bum, crumb disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
	4.	rat - one who reveals confidential information in return for money betrayer, blabber, informer, squealer canary, fink, snitch, stool pigeon, stoolie, stoolpigeon, sneaker, snitcher, sneak - someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police informant, source - a person who supplies information copper's nark, nark - an informer or spy working for the police supergrass, grass - a police informer who implicates many people
	5.	rat - a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure pad - a flat mass of soft material used for protection, stuffing, or comfort coif, coiffure, hair style, hairdo, hairstyle - the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)
Verb	1.	rat - desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage defect, desert - desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army; "If soldiers deserted Hitler's army, they were shot"
	2.	rat - employ scabs or strike breakers in manufacture, industry - the organized action of making of goods and services for sale; "American industry is making increased use of computers to control production" hire, employ, engage - engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?"
	3.	rat - take the place of work of someone on strike blackleg, fink, scab do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"
	4.	rat - give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat pad, fill out - line or stuff with soft material; "pad a bra"
	5.	rat - catch rats, especially with dogs capture, catch - capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping; "I caught a rabbit in the trap today"
	6.	rat - give away information about somebody; "He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam" shit, tell on, snitch, stag, shop, denounce, give away, betray, grass inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights" sell out - give information that compromises others

---

rat (Informal)

noun 1. traitor, grass Brit. (informal) betrayer, deceiver, informer, defector, deserter, double-crosser, quisling, stool pigeon, nark Brit., Austral., N.Z. (slang) snake in the grass, two-timer (informal) fizgig Austral. (slang)

noun 2. rogue, scoundrel, heel (slang) cad (old-fashioned), (informal), Brit. bounder (old-fashioned), (slang), Brit. rotter (slang), chiefly Brit. bad lot, shyster (informal), chiefly U.S. ratfink (slang), chiefly U.S., Canad. wrong 'un Austral. (slang)

rat on someone betray, denounce, tell on, shop (slang), chiefly Brit. grass Brit. (slang) peach (slang) squeal (slang) incriminate (informal) blow the whistle on (informal) spill the beans (informal) snitch (slang) blab, let the cat out of the bag, blow the gaff Brit. (slang) nark Brit., Austral., N.Z. (slang) put the finger on (informal) spill your guts (slang) inculpate, clype Scot. dob in Austral. (slang)

Translations

rat [ræt] n → rata

---

rat [ræt] n → rat m

---

rat [ræt] n → Ratte f

---

rat [ræt] n → ratto