1
as in to split (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 to desert
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 rat (on)
Verb
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It was built during World War II to watch for enemy ships before being deserted in 1949, according to Atlas Obscura.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2025 -
The bees are dying as the workers desert the queen.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And the volunteer who can’t write a check but has spent every weekend knocking on doors and talking to neighbors about this campaign’s promise of a better future for Fort Worth.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
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Across the street stood about a dozen police officers talking among themselves because there was no activity requiring their intervention.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Ukraine talks downgraded: Rubio cancels London trip The U.S. plan, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly rejected, also appears to block Ukraine's ambition to join the NATO military alliance.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Hours before the scheduled execution on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal by Mendoza's attorneys to stop the execution.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Her ability to inform and engage her readers, listeners and viewers is truly inspiring.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
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Becky, having seen Darlene and Chad together at the bar, informs Ben about Chad.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At this point, what started as a throwaway joke has grown into something vaguely earnest — too big to fail and too enmeshed in the neighborhood to be abandoned in good conscience.—
Nate Rogers,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Biden’s Justice Department ultimately abandoned the gambit and left Trump to head to trial, where a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Trump briefly cut off aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but resumed after Zelenskyy agreed to an immediate ceasefire, a call Putin has rebuffed.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
23 Apr. 2025
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The Trump administration is cutting off the huge stream of data that's been feeding the nation's largest study of women's health, which has produced a series of landmark discoveries.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rat (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rat%20%28on%29. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
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