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
Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Nobody wants rotting figs attracting rats along their fence line.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 18 Apr. 2026
Trash bins meant to hold dozens of large trash bags are part of New York City's latest defense against rats.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
In the book, Oppenheimer noted a family legend that Kennedy was fascinated by bugs as an infant; by the age of nine, the book said, Kennedy had a pet collection that included raccoons, rats, a horse, a calf, lizards, chickens, and snakes.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
In one, an empty egg crate was filled with newborn rats.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The New York City Health website recommends avoiding places where rats have urinated (which might be the entire city) and always wearing shoes when taking the trash out.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Magawa helped Cambodians personify a partnership of rats and humans that may continue to save lives.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
Someone says the rats are cute — what’s your honest response?
—Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
The missile site is where Cove and Dixon’s fellow biologists have used camera traps to film pythons preying on the endangered species, which have much lower reproduction rates than the invasive Asian black rats common to Florida.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Nobody wants rotting figs attracting rats along their fence line.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 18 Apr. 2026
Trash bins meant to hold dozens of large trash bags are part of New York City's latest defense against rats.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
In the book, Oppenheimer noted a family legend that Kennedy was fascinated by bugs as an infant; by the age of nine, the book said, Kennedy had a pet collection that included raccoons, rats, a horse, a calf, lizards, chickens, and snakes.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
In one, an empty egg crate was filled with newborn rats.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The New York City Health website recommends avoiding places where rats have urinated (which might be the entire city) and always wearing shoes when taking the trash out.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Magawa helped Cambodians personify a partnership of rats and humans that may continue to save lives.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
Someone says the rats are cute — what’s your honest response?
—Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
Noun
-
Quilty’s arrest comes after former New Haven police Chief Karl Jacobson was arrested by state police in February and accused of embezzling funds from an account police use to pay confidential informants in narcotics investigations.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Documents also revealed that some of the witnesses were FBI informants—information kept from New York police.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Coincidentally landing on National Cheddar Fries Day and National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day, the date is shaping up to be a great day for snack-lovers and munchies-havers alike.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Tavish, who just moved to New Zealand from Los Angeles with his bride, is a gigolo whose three previous aging lovers died under mysterious circumstances.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Will County state’s attorney’s office is partnering with First Secure Bank and Will County Crime Stoppers to offer a $5,000 award for information leading to an arrest and charges in an animal abuse investigation involving six dogs found dead in unincorporated Crete Township.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Another photo captures the soon-to-be bride and groom crouching down on the sand with their two pet dogs.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 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
-
Pete Crow-Armstrong dashed from third base, tapped the plate and then darted to the fans behind home, jumping on the railing against the netting to celebrate the Chicago Cubs’ walk-off, extra-innings, 2-1 win over the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Frost Bank Center in San Antonio was decked out with the Spurs’ 1990s-era logo and colors and the fans had matching bright shirts to match.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
-
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Key and especially Strong could convey depth and emotion, subtlety, and often weirdness via their small choices and close ups, defining their characters in opposition to the town’s broad-for-the-sake-of-comedy denizens.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Let’s run through the whole sordid inventory of critters who have had unusual encounters with Kennedy—including denizens of several different animal kingdoms.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
16 Apr. 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 26 Apr. 2026.
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