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
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
Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025
When tested in rats with cranial bone defects, the results were striking.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Her rats' playfulness motivated her and eased feeling of loneliness, while her cats' soothing weight on her chest calmed her anxiety.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Roughly half of all the mammal species on the planet are rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, and hamsters and they are found on every single continent except for Antarctica.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
During the 30-day experiment, rats on a diet comprised of 60% fat – far higher than the 35% to 40% typically seen in human diets – excreted more fat after eating the microbeads, but without side effects or blood sugar fluctuations.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Indian bucks would climb upon the rats’ huge nests — piles of sticks and rubbish as much as 10 feet high — and jab with long poles till the rats ran out.
—Robert Easton, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025
Some of the rats even stimulated themselves to death.
—Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Bushmeat is meat from wild animals, including monkeys, bats, cane rats, giraffes, antelopes and porcupines and elephants.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
Research performed on rats found that when TPO was ingested, reproductive difficulties and negative effects on the endocrine (hormonal) systems followed.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025
When tested in rats with cranial bone defects, the results were striking.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Her rats' playfulness motivated her and eased feeling of loneliness, while her cats' soothing weight on her chest calmed her anxiety.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Roughly half of all the mammal species on the planet are rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, and hamsters and they are found on every single continent except for Antarctica.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
During the 30-day experiment, rats on a diet comprised of 60% fat – far higher than the 35% to 40% typically seen in human diets – excreted more fat after eating the microbeads, but without side effects or blood sugar fluctuations.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Indian bucks would climb upon the rats’ huge nests — piles of sticks and rubbish as much as 10 feet high — and jab with long poles till the rats ran out.
—Robert Easton, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025
Some of the rats even stimulated themselves to death.
—Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Bushmeat is meat from wild animals, including monkeys, bats, cane rats, giraffes, antelopes and porcupines and elephants.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
Noun
-
Breyer barred troops from such actions, including making arrests, searches, acting as informants and collecting evidence.—
OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Records systems used by the Department of Justice and defense counsels have been breached, according to Politico, and the hack could expose highly sensitive information on informants, witnesses and sealed cases.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Monteverde’s cloud forest is a haven for nature lovers, with canopy walks and wildlife encounters that will delight young and old alike.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Their model allows coffee lovers to directly invest in coffee trees, funding farmers who need upfront capital to allocate for faster farm growth, whilst also getting a share of the revenue.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of her dogs was killed alongside her, the spokesperson said, while the other ran away.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Both dogs were emaciated, and shelter staff believed Maggie had been used as a breeding dog before being abandoned with her litter.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Its 12, 15, and 18 year olds are staples among sherried Scotch fans, while older age statements — like the Grandeur series and now these new 30- and 40-Year-Olds — showcase just how far the style can go.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Positive Signs for the 49ers At the same time, there are reasons for 49ers fans to be encouraged after Sunday's win.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Media attention has focused on the travails of big cities such as Los Angeles, but smaller cities might be the canaries in the coal mine.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The action sports denizens would then snail mail the tapes to the agency.—
Daniel Kaplan,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Seating 6,500 Piazza Grande denizens love big upscale entertainment movies with, if possible, a star in attendance.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Strangely, all the clowns with Ukraine flags 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 in their bio are also all silent on this one.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The sheriff threatens to arrest Morticia on account of aiding and abetting a murderer, but Gomez points out that these clowns (the cops) abandoned Nevermore to protect Normies at Pilgrim World.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
During one of the harrowing trips, 11-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) learns from his father, Jamie (Taylor-Johnson), of the location of a strange doctor named Kelson (Fiennes), but warns his son to stay away from the madman.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
While a seven-figure career without a degree sounds like a dream for Gen Z, Eklund also warns that success doesn’t always come swiftly.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share