1
as in informants
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the drug mule refused to turn rat without a guarantee of immunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in lovers
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 dogs
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rats
Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Health advocacy groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest have long urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA because some studies have indicated that the chemical causes cancer in rats, mice and hamsters.
—CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
What changed was the rats’ willingness to work for the sugar water.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, cited hair in food in 375 reviews and mentioned rats or roaches in 216 cases.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Regardless of rooting interest, an area with so many rink rats makes Olympic hockey appointment viewing.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
In this particular study, the researchers performed surgery on rats, removing a different organ from each rodent in an attempt to better understand which organ systems BPC-157 interacts with outside of the stomach.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
Speaking of critters, animals such as raccoons and rats may find their way out of the cold and into homes through plumbing stacks and other gaps, said Shaun Crawford, owner of The Critter Guys, based in Delray Beach.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
And, third, there are some things that laboratory rats just won’t do.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
His work includes the maintenance of all 20 trails, data collection, search and rescue of lost hikers, and the culling of animals that threaten Saba's ecosystem, including rats.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Health advocacy groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest have long urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA because some studies have indicated that the chemical causes cancer in rats, mice and hamsters.
—CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
What changed was the rats’ willingness to work for the sugar water.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, cited hair in food in 375 reviews and mentioned rats or roaches in 216 cases.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Regardless of rooting interest, an area with so many rink rats makes Olympic hockey appointment viewing.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
In this particular study, the researchers performed surgery on rats, removing a different organ from each rodent in an attempt to better understand which organ systems BPC-157 interacts with outside of the stomach.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
Speaking of critters, animals such as raccoons and rats may find their way out of the cold and into homes through plumbing stacks and other gaps, said Shaun Crawford, owner of The Critter Guys, based in Delray Beach.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
And, third, there are some things that laboratory rats just won’t do.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
Noun
-
White newspaper editors were routinely imprisoned or forced to become police informants.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But the conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered because prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that a group of jailhouse informants was illegally used to garner incriminating statements by Smith.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Each year, millions of dog lovers tune in to the Puppy Bowl as a way to pregame the actual Super Bowl taking place that same Sunday, played by human athletes without tails.—
Stacia Datskovska,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The symphony, conducted by its music director Carolyn Kuan, is playing a ballet score by Prokofiev inspired by Shakespeare’s immortal drama about two young lovers from feuding families at the Belding Theater at The Bushnell, located at 166 Capitol Ave.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fire crews quickly confined and extinguished the blaze, however, searchers found three dogs dead, Bosse said.—
Jennifer Edwards Baker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Two young children and two dogs were killed as a result of a house fire Sunday in Jackson, Michigan, the Jackson Fire Department said.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Conrad wasn’t sure how football fans would react but said most people eagerly accepted a towel.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
By the end of that format’s 12-year run, including several instances in which the best overall driver of the year was shut out from the title or even competing in the championship race, a majority of fans and drivers were more than ready for something else.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are no canaries there either.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Like canaries in the coal mine ocean form.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Happens in Wazirabad on Wednesday centers on the denizens of Wazirabad, a small hamlet in the environs of Kabul, during the civil war of the ’90s following the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The clearest successors to O’Hara’s knowing mockumentary style are, undoubtedly, the denizens of NBC’s The Office.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Deep cherry red, black, and white come together to create a whimsical world of dice, cards, sad clowns, and a ticking pocketwatch.—
Samantha Brash,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
-
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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