rat (on)

Definition of rat (on)next
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
  • Never mind that Canales doesn’t speak Spanish himself — the way that Telemundo announcers start talking faster as the action on the pitch intensifies is its own kind of language.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Now’s the time for the Party to think about it—potential pairings have a little time to court one another—and to start talking themselves into the idea that this could be rewarding and even kind of fun.
    Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Mbappe wasn’t the worst of France’s attackers and never stopped trying to turn the tide, but his quality deserted him.
    Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Over the next two decades, records are few, most of them noting criminal convictions for fighting in bars, stealing a watch, deserting a whaling ship, and beating his wife.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • Before Monday’s maneuver, the Russian ship informed HMS Tyne – a British patrol vessel – of its intention to conduct live-fire activity, CNN understands.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Both discoveries informed her choices for many of the principal cast and background actors.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Netanyahu had rejected any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority (without publicly endorsing an alternative).
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • Conversely, when a judge rejects a motion for an injunction, companies can move to complete a takeover deal quickly.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • The boxing ring metaphor was largely abandoned once the competition began, even though there were more opportunities to mix baseball’s tradition of walkup music with fight sports’ swaggering walkouts.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
  • Critics of the deal hope that the lawsuit will force Paramount to abandon its merger dreams altogether, though that seems hard to imagine, and would leave WBD in a weak position.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • D4vd then allegedly cut off her left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger had a tattoo of his name.
    Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Fenced in and barred from foraging, fishing, hunting, and farming, Indigenous peoples were intentionally cut off from the calorie-rich landscapes that had fed them for millennia.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
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 21 Jul. 2026.

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