rat 1 of 2

Definition of ratnext
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rat

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verb

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
Noun
Unfortunately, rodenticides don’t just kill rats. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026 Sacramento’s smallest zoo Alali now lives in Natomas with her fiancé, Alex Saraceno, along with Merlin; a girl group of rats named Monica, Moira and Amy; a former prison pigeon named Al Capone; a bearded dragon named Muffy; and a dog named Maverick. Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026 Passengers were abandoning them, like rats scuttling off a sinking ship, and people stood on the sidewalks, looking at their phones, or looking at the city, frowning, desperate. Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026 Nearby, her downstairs neighbor, Marina Quiroz, was showing a video of rats scurrying through her kitchen to a representative of the city’s tenant protection office. ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat
Noun
  • For months, the couple worked with the FBI as informants, with Katas even staging a raid by arranging a meeting with Bateman under the guise of filming.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The suspect police were looking for, based on a tip from a confidential informant, was living in a different apartment, and was wearing a police tracking device while awaiting trial for a recent arrest.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • That’s probably why class-crossed lovers make such fertile ground for fiction—look at Heathcliff and Cathy, or poor Scudder and Maurice.
    Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Options for 2026 include food cruises that travel through Burgundy and Provence and a 15-day wine lovers cruise on the Rhine and Seine Rivers.
    Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • News of Neon’s pursuit began to leak on social media and film blogs today and then was confirmed by our sister publication Variety first.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Chemicals such as arsenic and sulfur can leak into groundwater from deep wells, overpumping can cause water scarcity, and improper drilling can harm water quality.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The three-day event draws more than 100,000 fans every year for the festival, which headlines largely country music acts while raising money for marine conservation.
    Joan Murray, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • The fan tried to offer some context.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Milton residents are voicing safety concerns in the Blue Hills Reservation after Massachusetts State Police say a man stabbed a dog that allegedly attacked him.
    Samantha Chaney, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Residents in Charlotte and unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg County are required to purchase a license for dogs and cats over 4 months old.
    Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Everyone in the family had made sacrifices to open on time, with Alysha herself taking time off from her senior year in high school to talk to painters and builders.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Grab any chance to travel for pleasure or talk to people from other cultures.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • If the canary wouldn’t sing, if the milkman was late, if the Pekingese had fleas, if an old coot in a starched collar had a heart attack on the way to church, that was the smog.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

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