rat (on)

1
as in to split (on)
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities how much—or how little—did the fuzz have to pay you to rat on us?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to desert
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another many party operatives ratted on the senator's candidacy once her poll numbers started to slip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rat (on)
Verb
  • The tables were empty and the bar deserted, the only sign of life the clank and swish of dishes being washed in the back, through the swinging double doors.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The entire neighborhood was thus deserted, with its infrastructure entirely devastated—no water networks, no electricity, and no communication or internet.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Connor called 911 for help, and authorities tried to locate Mallory while also talking to the rest of the friends about what happened.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Her focus is less on the reason for the decline than on the question of why people—even close family members—stopped talking with one another.
    Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The 2023 edition opened a month later as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 people, injured another 170,000 and razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, prompting accusations of genocide, which Israel has strongly rejected.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Wyden’s aide rejected outright the concept that the Finance Committee lacks proper jurisdiction.
    Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Grinys’ teddy-bear demeanor and hulking form provide an interesting juxtaposition informing Rimantas’ internality.
    Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
  • But the ongoing government shutdown has also delayed the September jobs report, a key piece of data that typically helps inform Fed decisions.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2022, Fox Weather had reported that United Airlines would abandon its request for passengers to open window shades upon landing after quietly beginning to encourage it in 2020.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Weekly Newsletter Hamida’s first such meeting is with a twelve-year-old Hindu girl named Kammo, whose father abandoned her after the death of her mother.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City — and even take control of it — if Mamdani won.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • When the government cut off SNAP payments to poor families, a small restaurant-owner in Owensboro stepped in to give people free food.
    Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Rat (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat%20%28on%29. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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