1
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the drug mule refused to turn rat without a guarantee of immunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lover
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 bastard
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
as in to leak
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rat
Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2026
Now, any creature that eats rats is a friend of mine.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, traffic and rats.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
In recent weeks, local media reports carried word that several local Espanyol supporter groups were discussing the idea of pelting him with rats.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rat
Noun
Some of the research is on mice and rats, and the results don't always translate well to humans.
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2026
Now, any creature that eats rats is a friend of mine.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, traffic and rats.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
In recent weeks, local media reports carried word that several local Espanyol supporter groups were discussing the idea of pelting him with rats.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat
Noun
-
The New York Times first reported on the informant inside the regime.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
4 Jan. 2026
-
In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
For the third year, restaurants in Hayward are enticing food lovers with the opportunity to save money while discovering new places and revisiting old favorites.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Leigh Lucas’ book of poetry reckons with the death of a lover.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Tangem Wallet allows users to add extra cards as hardware backups, so the user’s private key is redundantly stored across identical secure elements with no mnemonic to hide, copy, or accidentally leak.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Why leak it online anonymously and miss out on all the fun?—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Frizer and Skeres were fraudsters, and the sinister Poley was an informer, crucial to the exposure of the Babington Plot.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Option 2: If one prisoner informs while the other stays silent, the informer will go free while the silent one receives the harshest sentence.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
That, combined with a decisive second-half performance, represented the good in Sunday’s matchup, the part that may give fans hope about a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
10 Nov. 2025
-
When Posa slammed Washington quarterback Demond Williams to the ground for a game-clincher on fourth-and-6, some 70,000 fans erupted as if thawed from a long freeze.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Choose a crate that is a comfortable size for your dog.—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The stretchy fabric allows for a full range of motion and remains in place through every downward dog and tree pose.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Brandon asked her out the next day, and the pair spent hours talking on a Ferris wheel during their first date.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
People with respiratory viruses who have high-risk conditions or who live in households with high-risk individuals should talk to their healthcare professional about taking antiviral medications to treat the virus or prevent transmission.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Meta’s recent mass layoffs on its AI team are a potential canary in the coal mine, signaling that AI companies might be realizing the boom is coming to an end.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But some of the interiors seem to belong to another house, like a cheap-looking finished basement with canary-yellow walls and a bathroom with, oddly, a urinal.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share