rat

1. 1.

   any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

   Broaderrodent

   Narrowerpocket ratbrown ratblack ratbandicoot ratjerboa ratrice rat
2. 2.

   someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike

   Synonymsscabstrikebreakerblackleg

   Broaderworker
3. 3.

   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'”

   Synonymsrotterdirty dogskunkstinkerstinkpotbumpukecrumblowlifescum bag
4. 4.

   one who reveals confidential information in return for money

   Synonymsinformerbetrayersquealerblabber

   Broaderinformant

   Narrowerfinknarksupergrass
5. 5.

   a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure

   Broaderpad

   Part ofhairdo

Other forms of rat

plural

rats·

past tense or participle

ratted

present participle

ratting

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about rat

What does rat mean?

rat means "desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage". That is the primary sense; the word has 11 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in rat?

rat has 1 syllable: rat. In IPA it is /ˈɹæt/.

What is another word for rat?

Close synonyms include fink, scab, blackleg, denounce, tell on. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is rat a common word?

rat is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.