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
Michelle Lee, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The Oscar winner has tons of tattoos, including finger tats and an ode to her Broadway musical, The Outsiders, which won the coveted Best Musical trophy at the ceremony.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 June 2024
Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 July 2025
Fifteen years ago, women wouldn't come out of prison all tatted up.
—Renea Baek Goddard, Them, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tat
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Noun
Among Ryder's collection of tats (that are mom-approved) is the one that honors his three half-siblings.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The Oscar winner has tons of tattoos, including finger tats and an ode to her Broadway musical, The Outsiders, which won the coveted Best Musical trophy at the ceremony.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 June 2024
Verb
Shortly following the announcement, Hailey Bieber shared multiple Instagram Stories posts about the project, starting with a billboard that features the album title, Swag, alongside a photo of a shirtless and tatted Justin Bieber.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 July 2025
Fifteen years ago, women wouldn't come out of prison all tatted up.
—Renea Baek Goddard, Them, 21 Feb. 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 22 Jul. 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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