US /ˈrætˌtæt/ UK /ˈrætˌtæt/
noun Freq #315661

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a rapid series of short, sharp knocks or tapping sounds

    A sudden rat-tat sounded at the door.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a rapid series of short,... rappingtappingrat-a-tat
Opposites
Word family
Forms rat-tats
Derived forms rat-tats
Related forms knocktapdrumming

Etymology

An imitative formation that echoes the sound of quick repeated taps or drumbeats. It belongs to a family of rhythmic sound words that includes rat-a-tat and rat-a-tat-tat.

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.