1
as in splits (on)
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities
how much—or how little—did the fuzz have to pay you to rat on us?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defects (from)
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
many party operatives ratted on the senator's candidacy once her poll numbers started to slip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats (on)
Verb
-
Here, Levy talks the making of Moira and Linda.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026 -
Saffrine Duggan, the wife of Daniel Duggan, talks to the media outside the Federal Court of Australia in Canberra on April 16, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sean, 17, deserts his post in the midst of the Iraq war and returns to England.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Against a backdrop of tennis courts, luxury hotels, and colonial privilege, simmering tensions erupt as Lan’s brother Tran rejects his wealthy family’s collaboration with the French to join Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary cause, setting off an assassination that changes everything.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
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Miami summarily rejects anything resembling tanking because of a long-standing organizational philosophy that isn’t going to be revisited.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But what happens when a poet abandons this essential tool?—
Patrick Dundon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The group quickly abandons the car, leaving the infant alone with at least one of the car doors open for an hour.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In voice-over, Daisy informs us that there has been extra security since last episode’s attack on the Plum bus.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
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Here’s what informs those dividing lines in our cosmos.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rats (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rats%20%28on%29. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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