1
as in informants
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the drug mule refused to turn rat without a guarantee of immunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in lovers
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 dogs
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rats
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Many different types of rodents may be digging up your yard, including squirrels, chipmunks, and even rats.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Hantaviruses, which are found throughout the world, are a family of viruses spread mainly by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
Hantavirus is an infectious disease that is normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Hantavirus, which is found throughout the world, is spread by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice.
—Gerald Imray, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
The Angels went to bat against the rats, announcing that cleaning crews would get to work an hour after each game instead of waiting until the next morning.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles Angels have seemingly traded the rally monkey in for alley rats.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The rats eat everything, leaving us with nothing.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
Hantaviruses are groups of viruses – microscopic organisms that infect hosts – transmitted by mice and rats.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Many different types of rodents may be digging up your yard, including squirrels, chipmunks, and even rats.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Hantaviruses, which are found throughout the world, are a family of viruses spread mainly by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
Hantavirus is an infectious disease that is normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Hantavirus, which is found throughout the world, is spread by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice.
—Gerald Imray, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
The Angels went to bat against the rats, announcing that cleaning crews would get to work an hour after each game instead of waiting until the next morning.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles Angels have seemingly traded the rally monkey in for alley rats.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The rats eat everything, leaving us with nothing.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
Noun
-
Paying informants is not a crime, and the government has provided no evidence that the SPLC’s donors were duped about the SPLC’s practice of sending such payments, which is the foundation of the wire-fraud allegation.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
-
In addition to ignoring glaring inconsistencies in the sole eyewitness account, Kuby said prosecutors illegally hid from the defense benefits provided to the girl’s mom and buried evidence identifying the true killer provided by informants, who came forward years after the trial.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nature lovers with more time to explore may want to immerse themselves in the landscape by hiking, camping, and other outdoor pursuits, but others prefer to take in the beauty and timelessness in a more relaxed way.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
-
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The dogs [which carried the same genetic defect for LCA as humans] had the funny eye movements.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
-
Small dogs are welcome to stay with a €50 supplement.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Especially for beleaguered Magic fans, who have suffered through 17 seasons now without seeing their team win a playoff series.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
To this day, players and fans still believe that outside forces can conspire for or against them, that actions taken off the field can somehow affect the result of the game.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
These living materials could also serve as canaries in the coal mine for water safety, glowing brighter or dimming in the presence of specific toxins.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
Such displeased denizens might appreciate Bar Snack, a cocktail lounge that was recently named one of the country’s best new bars.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Once completed, the $5 million acquisition will ensure the theater has a permanent home, a place where skateboarding clowns and leek-haired onions can continue to frolic and dance for decades to come.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Plot details are being kept under wraps, though the film has been described as a four-quadrant coming-of-age comedy set in the world of funny and evil clowns.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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