tatted; tatting
: to work at tatting
: to make by tatting
variants
or Tat
: a small protein produced by a lentivirus (such as HIV) that greatly increases the rate of viral transcription and replication and enhances the susceptibility of T cells to infection
also
: the viral gene that codes for the tat protein
chiefly US slang
: a tattoo on a person's skin
He pulls up his shirt to show us his tats.—
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
tatted; tatting
1
chiefly US slang
: to mark or color the skin with tattoos : tattoo
The benefit of getting tatted at a festival is that you have more than 200 artists from which to choose.—Kellie Hwang
—often used with upKellie Hwang… say you're not a gang member, yet hang out with gang members, get tatted up with gang symbols or nicknames …—Kimberly Edds
Kimberly Edds2
chiefly US slang
: to mark (something) with something like a tattoo
Cargo trains, all rusted and tatted with graffiti, occasionally pass on the neighboring track.—Kara Starzyk
—often used with upKara StarzykMy passport got tatted up pretty good this year. I hit a dozen countries on five continents, as well as eight states.—The Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times
thematic apperception test
Examples of tat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
And in keeping with being surprising, one of the singer’s proudest accomplishments this summer was learning how to flip a knot in shuttle tatting, an intricate lacemaking technique.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
China has unveiled tighter export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals in a new round of tit-for-tat trade restrictions between Washington and Beijing.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tat
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Verb
The first picture featured the singer sitting shirtless on a couch, bearing nothing but his six-pack abs and tatted upper body.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
And in keeping with being surprising, one of the singer’s proudest accomplishments this summer was learning how to flip a knot in shuttle tatting, an intricate lacemaking technique.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
He is also expected to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the event, in hopes of securing a deal to end the tit-for-tat trade war.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
China has unveiled tighter export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals in a new round of tit-for-tat trade restrictions between Washington and Beijing.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tat
Cite this Entry
“Tat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tat. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
tat
1 of 2 nounoften capitalized
1
: a small protein produced by a lentivirus (as HIV) within infected cells that greatly increases the rate of viral transcription and replication and that is also secreted extracellularly where it plays a role in increasing viral replication in newly infected cells and in enhancing the susceptibility of T cells to infection
called also tat protein
2
: the viral gene that codes for the tat protein
TAT
2 of 2 abbreviation
thematic apperception test
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