rats 1 of 3

interjection

ˈrats How to pronounce rats (audio)
Definition of ratsnext
as in boo
used to express disgust rats, I can't believe anyone would say such a hateful thing

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rats

2 of 3

noun

plural of rat
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

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2
as in lovers
someone who regularly spends time in a particular place on Friday night the mall rats were out in full force

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rats

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of rat
as in leaks

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rats
Noun
More than a month after a massive fire swept through the warehouse, Lineage is still working to remove more than 85 million pounds of weeks-old food, which has brought rancid odors, flies and rats to the surrounding area. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 Getting into the habit of leaving dirty dishes in the sink provides pests such as German cockroaches, ants, mice, and rats with a constant food source. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 27 July 2026 The deadliest animal to have ever roamed the earth is not the great white shark, or snakes, or even rats that caused three great plagues in history, decimating the human population at the time. — New Atlas, 26 July 2026 Scientists like Munster are indispensable for figuring out the source of pandemic viruses, whether bats, pigs, rats, or some other animal, Andersen said. — CNN Money, 22 July 2026 When scientists temporarily disabled mole-rats’ olfactory sensory neurons with chemicals, the aggression towards strangers disappeared. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026 But Argentine scientists who tested rats for the Andes hantavirus in the area recently ruled out Ushuaia as the source of the outbreak — to the relief of the Antarctic cruise hub heavily reliant on foreign tourism. — ABC News, 21 July 2026 When rats took over a park in an upscale neighborhood in Lima, Peru, cats were brought in to solve the problem. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026 That’s where the money is these days, and only the most expert studio rats—say, Nine Inch Nails, Tame Impala, or Steely Dan—have been able to reverse-engineer careers into polished touring acts. — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
  1. boo
  2. informants
  3. lovers
  4. dogs
  5. warns
  6. informers
  7. fans
  8. clowns
Interjection
  • Williams also recalled witnessing the Super Bowl crowd boo Taylor Swift when she was shown on the jumbotron cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
    — Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Definition of boo
Noun
  • In the morning, Nora stops by with information about confidential informants in the Candlelight Lounge case.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • The Justice Department unveiled this case against it, essentially arguing that SPLC had been defrauding its donors by paying informants within far-right groups who were infiltrating those groups.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
Definition of informants
Noun
  • This menu is easily intriguing enough to lure food lovers back for chef Mederos’ tasting menu.
    — Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The book pays homage to all your classic romance tropes — fake relationship, enemies to lovers, boy next door — but spins them on their head in this new take on what happily ever after looks like.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 July 2026
Definition of lovers
Noun
  • After losing Noodle, Graziano spent some time fostering dogs before adopting his current pug, Milton.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The search teams from across counties, the city and the state used helicopters, boats, sonar, drones and cadaver dogs to search a nine-mile stretch of the river.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of dogs
Verb
  • However, the article warns against equating token consumption with productivity or business value.
    — Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Heat at this level will affect anyone without access to cooling and hydration, the National Weather Service warns.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of warns
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informers
Noun
  • Top Chef and Traitors fans, don’t skip out on a visit to Kristen Kish’s restaurant Arlo Grey, also located on the hotel’s first floor.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • When 39 days of elite physical punishment concluded with stadium lights dimming across North America, millions of fans limped away from watch parties with hoarse voices and sore feet.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of fans
Noun
  • One morning during my stay, there were even clowns buzzing about—a thrill to receive a balloon poodle alongside my morning flat white.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
  • Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Definition of clowns

Browse Nearby Words

rat (on)
rats
rat snake
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Cite this Entry

“Rats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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