Rat
noun
A small animal with a long skinny tail that is often found in dirty places like sewers.
I saw a rat running across the street last night.
Often appears as...
- catch a rat
- rat infestation
noun
A person who is dishonest or not loyal.
He's a rat for lying to us like that.
Often appears as...
- smell a rat
- dirty rat
Usage tips
Informal, Disapproving
verb
To betray someone by telling their secrets or wrongdoings to the others or authorities.
He ratted on his friends to the police.
Often appears as...
- rat on someone
- rat out
Usage tips
Informal, Disapproving
Colloquial
noun
A small animal with a long skinny tail that is often found in dirty places like sewers.
I saw a rat running across the street last night.
Often appears as...
- catch a rat
- rat infestation
noun
A person who is dishonest or not loyal.
He's a rat for lying to us like that.
Often appears as...
- smell a rat
- dirty rat
Usage tips
Informal, Disapproving
verb
To betray someone by telling their secrets or wrongdoings to the others or authorities.
He ratted on his friends to the police.
Often appears as...
- rat on someone
- rat out
Usage tips
Informal, Disapproving
Colloquial
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotations
The word 'rat' can suggest dirtiness or disease, especially in urban settings.
The abandoned warehouse was swarming with rats.
Pro Tip 2/3Associated Behaviors
'Rat' is often used to describe animals that are sneaky or thieving.
A rat stole food from the kitchen.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Metaphor
'Rat race' is a metaphor for the competitive struggle of daily life.
I'm tired of this rat race and want to retire.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotations
The word 'rat' can suggest dirtiness or disease, especially in urban settings.
The abandoned warehouse was swarming with rats.
Pro Tip 2/3Associated Behaviors
'Rat' is often used to describe animals that are sneaky or thieving.
A rat stole food from the kitchen.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Metaphor
'Rat race' is a metaphor for the competitive struggle of daily life.
I'm tired of this rat race and want to retire.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotations
The word 'rat' can suggest dirtiness or disease, especially in urban settings.
The abandoned warehouse was swarming with rats.
Pro Tip 2/3Associated Behaviors
'Rat' is often used to describe animals that are sneaky or thieving.
A rat stole food from the kitchen.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Metaphor
'Rat race' is a metaphor for the competitive struggle of daily life.
I'm tired of this rat race and want to retire.
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Video examples
Why we laugh PIPE Sophie...
So it's not at all unusual, for example, to hear people to say humans are the only animals that laugh. Nietzsche thought that humans are the only animals that laugh. In fact, you find laughter throughout the mammals. It's been well-described and well-observed in primates, but you also see it in rats, and wherever you find it --
Video examples
How stress affects your...
that the amount of nurturing a mother rat provides its newborn baby plays a part in determining how that baby responds to stress later in life. The pups of nurturing moms turned out less sensitive to stress because their brains developed more cortisol receptors, which stick to cortisol and dampen the stress response.
Video examples
What is epigenetics? -...
when mother rats weren't attentive enough to their pups, genes in the babies that helped them manage stress were methylated and turned off. And it might not stop with that generation. Most epigenetic marks are erased when egg and sperm cells are formed.
Video examples
The strange case of the...
The researchers hypothesized that the pregnant ewes had snacked on poisonous birth defect-causing plants. They collected the local flora and fed samples to lab rats, but struggled to replicate the effect. So they decided to directly observe the sheep
Video examples
The myth behind the...
The rat rose with the sun to get an early start, but on the way to the river, he met the horse, the tiger, and the ox. Because the rat was small and couldn't swim very well, he asked the bigger animals for help. While the tiger and horse refused,
Video examples
How parasites change...
that needs both cats and rodents to complete its life cycle. When a rat gets infected by eating cat feces, the parasite changes chemical levels in the rat's brain, making it less cautious around the hungry felines, maybe even attracted to them.
Video examples
Finding landmines using...
the genetic profiles examining social and exploratory behavior plus their reactions to various unfamiliar situations provides deep clues into the behavioral tendencies of these potential soldier rats just as the army test
Video examples
Why do animals have such...
When it comes to size, it's often, but not always, the case that larger species have a longer lifespan than smaller ones. For instance, an elephant or whale will live much longer than a mouse, rat, or vole,
Video examples
See How Easily a Rat Can...
narrow maze like toilet pipes is this even possible the underwater passage leaves no room for error add a turn the rat finds a pocket of air just enough to help it
Video examples
Snake Kills Rodent Which...
Even the baby is determined to help. But his mother has spotted something. This yellow rat snake isn't after monkeys.
Video examples
Why we laugh PIPE Sophie...
So it's not at all unusual, for example, to hear people to say humans are the only animals that laugh. Nietzsche thought that humans are the only animals that laugh. In fact, you find laughter throughout the mammals. It's been well-described and well-observed in primates, but you also see it in rats, and wherever you find it --
Video examples
How stress affects your...
that the amount of nurturing a mother rat provides its newborn baby plays a part in determining how that baby responds to stress later in life. The pups of nurturing moms turned out less sensitive to stress because their brains developed more cortisol receptors, which stick to cortisol and dampen the stress response.
Video examples
What is epigenetics? -...
when mother rats weren't attentive enough to their pups, genes in the babies that helped them manage stress were methylated and turned off. And it might not stop with that generation. Most epigenetic marks are erased when egg and sperm cells are formed.
Video examples
The strange case of the...
The researchers hypothesized that the pregnant ewes had snacked on poisonous birth defect-causing plants. They collected the local flora and fed samples to lab rats, but struggled to replicate the effect. So they decided to directly observe the sheep
Video examples
The myth behind the...
The rat rose with the sun to get an early start, but on the way to the river, he met the horse, the tiger, and the ox. Because the rat was small and couldn't swim very well, he asked the bigger animals for help. While the tiger and horse refused,
Video examples
How parasites change...
that needs both cats and rodents to complete its life cycle. When a rat gets infected by eating cat feces, the parasite changes chemical levels in the rat's brain, making it less cautious around the hungry felines, maybe even attracted to them.
Video examples
Finding landmines using...
the genetic profiles examining social and exploratory behavior plus their reactions to various unfamiliar situations provides deep clues into the behavioral tendencies of these potential soldier rats just as the army test
Video examples
Why do animals have such...
When it comes to size, it's often, but not always, the case that larger species have a longer lifespan than smaller ones. For instance, an elephant or whale will live much longer than a mouse, rat, or vole,
Video examples
See How Easily a Rat Can...
narrow maze like toilet pipes is this even possible the underwater passage leaves no room for error add a turn the rat finds a pocket of air just enough to help it
Video examples
Snake Kills Rodent Which...
Even the baby is determined to help. But his mother has spotted something. This yellow rat snake isn't after monkeys.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Christine Lakin
American Actress
I grew up dancing, and for a while in college, I was a gym rat. I finally realized... I'm going to create a little more balance in my life and make exercise something that I enjoy doing. So I went back to dance when I started doing more musical theatre, and I've just found that it's the best thing that works for my body.
Quote examples
Marsha P. Johnson
American Celebrity
How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? We're all in this rat race together!
Quote examples
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Indian Actor
I do not want to be a part of Hindi cinema's rat race. But yes, if I get offers and characters which I feel would suit me as well as make some difference to me, I will do a Hindi film.
Quote examples
Rush Limbaugh
American Entertainer
We're throwing money down a rat hole drain of public education! We lead the world in public education spending. We lead the world in getting the least for it.
Quote examples
Astro
Musician
Whatever woman I love... I gotta love her. She might be a hood rat, but she's gotta have respect for my mother.
Quote examples
Quincy Jones
American Musician
We spent most of our life almost like street rats just running around the street until we were ten years old.
Quote examples
Robert De Niro
Actor
You learned the two greatest thing in life, never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.
Quote examples
Mike Dirnt
American Musician
When I listen to songs, I can smell a rat. I like songs that speak to me with some deeper truth.
Quote examples
Jasmin Bhasin
Indian Actress
Just like my onscreen character Twinkle, I'm extremely scared of rats.
Quote examples
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
American Model
I'm deathly afraid of rats.
Quote examples
Christine Lakin
American Actress
I grew up dancing, and for a while in college, I was a gym rat. I finally realized... I'm going to create a little more balance in my life and make exercise something that I enjoy doing. So I went back to dance when I started doing more musical theatre, and I've just found that it's the best thing that works for my body.
Quote examples
Marsha P. Johnson
American Celebrity
How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? We're all in this rat race together!
Quote examples
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Indian Actor
I do not want to be a part of Hindi cinema's rat race. But yes, if I get offers and characters which I feel would suit me as well as make some difference to me, I will do a Hindi film.
Quote examples
Rush Limbaugh
American Entertainer
We're throwing money down a rat hole drain of public education! We lead the world in public education spending. We lead the world in getting the least for it.
Quote examples
Astro
Musician
Whatever woman I love... I gotta love her. She might be a hood rat, but she's gotta have respect for my mother.
Quote examples
Quincy Jones
American Musician
We spent most of our life almost like street rats just running around the street until we were ten years old.
Quote examples
Robert De Niro
Actor
You learned the two greatest thing in life, never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.
Quote examples
Mike Dirnt
American Musician
When I listen to songs, I can smell a rat. I like songs that speak to me with some deeper truth.
Quote examples
Jasmin Bhasin
Indian Actress
Just like my onscreen character Twinkle, I'm extremely scared of rats.
Quote examples
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
American Model
I'm deathly afraid of rats.
Example 1 of 10
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