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 bastards
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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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
Seabird colonies have declined because of habitat loss and invasive species like rats. — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 Knudsen told the publication the burrows have grown where the nuts are left, and that Green City Market vendors have seen rats while setting up. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Wilson said owls eat mice and rats, which exposes them to risk. — Nick Caloway, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 Also, invasive rats and cats continue to prey on vulnerable tortoise eggs and hatchlings. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 Banksy’s stenciled rats, children with balloons, riot police, smiley faces and masked figures are instantly recognizable symbols of resistance to centralized power, war, consumerism, the mundanity of everyday life and the machinery of commerce. — Chad Radford, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Broadly speaking, in the studies the Flinders researchers looked at, these dressings were applied to a range of slow-to-heal skin wounds on mice and rats, and their recovery was tracked over about one to three weeks. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026 The bacteria spread naturally among rodents like prairie dogs and rats. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 But of course where there’s one rat, there are usually more, and swarms of rats and an angry sea soon become the man’s antagonists. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rats
  1. boo
  2. informants
  3. lovers
  4. dogs
  5. warns
  6. informers
  7. fans
  8. jerks
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
  • Many informants The issue of intelligence connections has shadowed the investigation ever since Moïse was found shot to death in his second-floor bedroom, and his wife, Martine, was seriously injured.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Cseh, the archive's director, said successor governments to dictatorships rarely disclose the names of previous agents and informants, let alone records as detailed as those Hungary is preparing to release.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of informants
Noun
  • This one’s for the chocolate lovers who appreciate a little mythology lesson, too.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Star-crossed lovers sing right past each other on the duet from Bryan’s new Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs EP.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of lovers
Noun
  • But using dogs to investigate crimes wasn’t widely adopted until the mid ‘80s, Gould said.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The study found that larger dogs lose 35% more LINE1 methylation than smaller dogs.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of dogs
Verb
  • At the first all-crew meeting, Kerry warns everyone to stay vigilant.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • That list, the company warns, poses a risk for its ability to get adequate and affordable insurance.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 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
  • For the Bills fans, the store opening is bringing a slice of home and Upstate New York.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Benjamin Satterley, known to wrestling fans around the world as Pac, died last month of bronchial asthma, the medical examiner’s office in Cook County, Illinois, confirmed Friday.
    — Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fans
Noun
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerks

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 19 Oct. 2026.

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