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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rat
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
In Merrill, who signed a nine-year contract extension with the club on Wednesday, the Padres have themselves a mature young dude and gifted baseball rat who’s more concerned about winning the day or night’s game than anything else relating to his job.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
In January, the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, beverages and drugs, saying the synthetic dye was found to cause cancer in lab rats.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
The researchers studied their formulation in rats over 97 days, and found more than 85% of the medication intact in the depot under their skin.
—New Atlas, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rat
Noun
At some point, Arakawa had become infected with the potentially fatal hantavirus, which is carried by mice or rats that often live in sheds or attics.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat
Noun
-
In securing her conviction in 1998, Randall County prosecutors heavily relied on testimony from a jail inmate who was working as a confidential informant for the City of Amarillo police.—
-
That informant recanted her testimony in 2011, but neither a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals or a federal district court found that prosecutors had violated Holberg's constitutional right to a fair trial.—
Noun
-
Cabot Creamery butter lovers may want to check their fridges following a recent recall.—
-
E-book lovers can also get the Kindle edition of The Handmaid’s Tale for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership; learn more here.—
Verb
-
Instead of red mulch that can leak harmful chemicals into the soil, Betz recommends a natural bark mulch that looks more organic.—
-
Frequent Leaks Like any water-using appliance, a washing machine might start to leak for several different reasons.—
Noun
-
The Ukrainian soldiers began to see Russian civilians as a hindrance — or worse, as potential informers who could give away their positions.—
-
The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.—
Noun
-
The wait is over for fans anticipating the beginning of Grand Slam Track.—
-
Add Pierce Brosnan to the list of George Clooney's fans!—
Noun
-
According to LifeLine, the DeKalb shelter takes in 135 dogs a week on average.—
-
The remains were found by two men who were running their dogs and looking for rocks, according to DNASolves.—
Verb
-
Tonya Mosley talked with Justene Hill Edwards about the rise and fall of the Freedmen’s Bank on NPR’s Fresh Air.—
-
Prior to the premiere, O’Brien talked to Variety about the challenge of playing dual parts.—
Noun
-
The Clock Is Ticking Shopify’s hiring policy is the canary in the corporate coal mine.—
-
Canary Tokens Enable canary tokens for domain monitoring.—
Cite this Entry
“Rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share