Meaning & use
rat
A rodent resembling a large mouse, often regarded as a pest and associated with disease.
See it in a sentence
A rat scurried across the alley and disappeared into a pile of trash.
Exterminators were called in after rats were spotted in the restaurant's kitchen.
A note on using this word
Rat is also common slang for someone who betrays friends or informs on them to authorities, as in the phrase 'a dirty rat.'
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A person who betrays or informs on others, especially to the authorities (informal).
Other prisoners refused to speak to him after learning he was a rat for the police.
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