rat
IPA: rˈæt
noun
- (zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
- (informal) Any of the numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) that resemble true rats in appearance, usually having a pointy snout, a long, bare tail, and body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
- (informal) A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.
- (informal) An informant or snitch.
- (informal) A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.
- (slang) A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.
- 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.
- (UK, north-west London, slang, vulgar) Vagina.
- (regional) A scratch or a score.
- (nautical, regional) A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather.
- (military, slang) A ration.
- The first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
- (chiefly informal) Short for muskrat. [A large aquatic rodent (Ondatra zibethicus).]
- (medicine, countable) Initialism of rapid antigen test. [(medicine) A fast-acting chromatographic immunoassay for the detection of specific antigens.]
- (aviation, countable) Initialism of ram air turbine. [(aviation) A small wind turbine mounted on an aircraft and used to generate electrical or hydraulic power from the force of air moving past the aircraft.]
- (computing, countable) Initialism of remote-access Trojan.
- (philosophy, uncountable) Initialism of relevant alternatives theory.
verb
- (of a dog, etc.) To hunt or kill rats.
- (intransitive) To betray a political party, cause or principle; to betray someone, to desert a person or thing.
- (informal, intransitive) To work as a scab, going against trade union policies.
- (chiefly US) To backcomb (hair).
- (intransitive, with on or out) To inform on someone; to betray someone to the police or authorities.
- (regional) To scratch or score.
- (regional, rare, obsolete) To tear, rip, rend.
- Damn, drat, blast; used in oaths.
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Examples of "rat" in Sentences
- They would lacerate the rats.
- The rat went into the basement.
- Willard was a giant pouched rat.
- There are many rats in the ditch.
- The rats are scrambling in the cage.
- This is the interaction of hunger and thirst in the rat.
- Propagation of rats is relatively faster than other animals.
- The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom.
- The greater divergence of chromosomal contiguity for cats and rats is shown.
- The only mammalian examples are the naked mole rat and the Damaraland mole rat.