lat

1 of 3

noun

ˈlat 

plural lats

informal

: a broad, flat muscle of the middle and lower back : latissimus dorsi

—usually plural

In centuries past, people did not act like captive hamsters. If a person chopped wood or ran a long way, it was because he or she needed fuel or wanted to get somewhere. Now we do such things to fit into new pants or develop our lats.

—Rick Telander

lat

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

latitude

LAT

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

local apparent time

Examples of lat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While Schmidt has since returned from some nagging spring training injuries, Cole won’t this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Gil isn’t expected back from a lat strain until at least mid-summer. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025

Minter was weighing the option of undergoing surgery for his lat strain and opted to have the operation. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025

Holmes was converted to a starter, but Montas is out until May with a lat strain. —Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

Luis Gil, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year, strained his lat. —Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lat

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Medical Definition

lat

noun

ˈlat 

: latissimus dorsi

—usually used in plural