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
ABC News, 12 May 2026
Pellets, believed to be rat poison, found at Jenny Strand Park in Santa Clara on May 11, 2026.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Hantavirus is primarily spread when people come in contact with urine, droppings and saliva from rats, according to the CDC.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 11 May 2026
People typically get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice—normally when exposed to their urine, droppings and saliva, or sometimes through a bite or scratch—but officials say no rodents have been found on the MV Hondius ship.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rat
Noun
There have been over 100 hantavirus cases and more than 30 deaths recorded in Argentina this year, and not all regions have the rice rat that is known to carry the disease, according to health officials.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Pellets, believed to be rat poison, found at Jenny Strand Park in Santa Clara on May 11, 2026.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Hantavirus is primarily spread when people come in contact with urine, droppings and saliva from rats, according to the CDC.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 11 May 2026
People typically get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice—normally when exposed to their urine, droppings and saliva, or sometimes through a bite or scratch—but officials say no rodents have been found on the MV Hondius ship.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat
Noun
-
The only reason anybody learned about it was the informant’s guilty plea.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
Lea Garofalo Lea Garofalo was an Italian civilian informant whose break with the ’Ndrangheta ended in her murder.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
This smokey, briney, california botanical martini is the dream cocktail for any olive lover.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
From limited-time giveaways to national brand collaborations, pickle lovers are getting plenty to celebrate this year.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
With one slightly cute trick to slip past the fwmark server, an attacker app can use that primitive to leak the user’s real IP past an active VPN.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The outlet also reports that guests are being told to prepare for the wedding, but no details have been given just yet in an effort to make sure things don’t leak.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 May 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 Grammy winner is known to be a fan of Dôen, having previously worn the brand's Benoit Dress in Noir Wild Rose for dinner with Dakota Johnson at Via Carota in New York City in May 2025.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
When the lights came up, fans stood and cheered for the cast.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
In real life, once the cameras stop rolling, Wallace and McGarry have bonded over their dog named Darla, who made her online debut in March 2024.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Landowski only began competing Neo in agility competitions last year, and the training involved coaching with a dog trainer in Hudson Oaks and years of hogging the family computer to watch dog agility competition videos, her mother, Rhian said.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Wasserman was the evening’s major speaker and arrived at the event as reporters were talking to Cherfilus-McCormick.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
Join, stay in, talk to the teacher next door.—
Steven Walker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
That is the canary in the 2 percent statistic.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
After Spirit Airlines ceased operations, in the middle of the night on May 2nd, a series of canary-yellow airplanes sat on the tarmac at Newark Airport, arranged neatly like children’s toys at day’s end.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
