Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

tat

1 American  
[tat] / tæt /

verb (used with or without object)

tatted, tatting

  1. to do tatting, or make (knotted lace) by tatting.

tat 2 American  
[tat] / tæt /

noun

  1. a pattern, words, or piece of art inked indelibly into the skin by making punctures in it and inserting pigments; tattoo.

    She was normally proud of her tats, but she wore long-sleeved blouses to cover them while interviewing for elementary school teaching positions.

verb (used with or without object)

tatted, tatting

  1. to mark (the skin) with tattoos, or put (tattoos) on the skin (often followed byup ).

    I want to get really tatted up, but I’m planning each piece carefully and taking my time—you only get one canvas for this art.
TAT 3 American  

abbreviation

Psychology.

  1. Thematic Apperception Test.

tat 1 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. tatty articles or a tatty condition

  2. tasteless articles

  3. a tangled mass

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tat 2 British  
/ tæt /

verb

  1. to make (something) by tatting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tat 3 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. short for tattoo 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tat 4 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. See tit for tat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tat Idioms  

  1. see tit for tat.

Etymology

Origin of tat1

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

Origin of tat2

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of tattoo 2 ( def. )

Explanation

To tat is to make lace. Tatting involves making loops and tying knots in a long piece of thread over and over again. Most of the lace made today is created with a machine, and the ability to tat, or make lace by hand, is rare. Tatting requires a lot of silk or cotton thread and either a metal disc called a "shuttle," needles, or a crochet hook. You may also find tat used as a noun to mean "cheap, tasteless stuff," or informally to mean "tattoo," as in "Hey, I love the new tat on your shoulder."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing tat

Scrabble: Palindrome Words

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

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.

“The concern for the public and for representative democracy is that you’re going to have a lot of tit for tat moving forward,” Skelley told Salon.

From Salon • Sep. 12, 2025

In this tit for tat, though, California’s threats to respond have thus far proved ineffectual.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

Against the yen, the dollar was also a tad softer tat 147.59.

From Reuters • Sep. 18, 2023

Tit for tat is the coin of the congressional realm.

From New York Times • Aug. 8, 2023

If it isn't tat from Taiwan, I paid far too much for something I'll only use twice.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.