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
Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
The residents sheltering in place during the pandemic hit more deer, left more trash that fed more rats, all of which sustained a bigger pack of coyotes over the past year.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
One point public health officials have repeatedly emphasized is that hantavirus normally infects people who come into contact with urine or droppings from infected rats.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Doctors say that while there are a lot of rats and mice in Chicago, hantavirus has not been detected in the city's rodent population.
—Sara Tenenbaum, 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
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
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
Noun
Hantaviruses are typically spread by rodents such as mice or rats.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
The residents sheltering in place during the pandemic hit more deer, left more trash that fed more rats, all of which sustained a bigger pack of coyotes over the past year.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
One point public health officials have repeatedly emphasized is that hantavirus normally infects people who come into contact with urine or droppings from infected rats.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Doctors say that while there are a lot of rats and mice in Chicago, hantavirus has not been detected in the city's rodent population.
—Sara Tenenbaum, 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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
Noun
-
The Justice Department accuses the group of fraud in connection with its payments to informants.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
6 May 2026
-
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
History buffs, avid hikers, music lovers, wine aficionados, and beach bums will all find a town to love in the Old Dominion.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
In addition to being sun lovers, many of the species on this list are heat- and drought-tolerant.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Is there something similar for dogs?—
Jane Sykes,
Washington Post,
11 May 2026
-
The team of 22 handlers and 27 dogs will compete against others from around the world at the Junior Agility Open, the premier international competition for junior dog handlers.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 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
-
Bedside power outlets and ceiling fans add to the convenience.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 May 2026
-
This is why fans are upset, for a center who not even a top 5 center in the NBA.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
11 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
-
Alarmed by growing difficulties for skyway-level residents, workers and shop owners, Kehmeier joined forces with fellow skyway denizens to launch Friends of the Skyway in January.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The four paintings are Joan Miró’s Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo’s Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, rue Saint-Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus’s Etude pour femme couchée (1948), and Pablo Picasso’s L’Ecuyere et les clowns (1961).—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Rats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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