rat-a-tat
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of rat-a-tat
First recorded in 1675–85; imitative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“People were amazed. They could see these top stars singing and dancing. They could hear the rat-a-tat of the guns. And sound also made for a tremendous amount of creativity in movie making.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
Inspired by US vocal harmony groups such as En Vogue and SWV, Mis-Teeq cleverly incorporated garage and hip-hop to their sound, with Alesha Dixon's rat-a-tat MC'ing setting them apart from more their pop rivals.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
Mankiewicz’s work often went unacknowledged, but he’d helped give the 1930s comedies the rat-a-tat rhythm of he and his friends ping-ponging jokes around the Algonquin Round Table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
But starting with Covid-19, the rat-a-tat series of crises exposed with startling clarity vulnerabilities that demanded attention.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
Then as we strolled around the deck, they were to make rat-a-tat sounds and Nancy and I would fall to the deck.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
