tat

[ tat ]

/ tæt /

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verb (used with or without object), tat·ted, tat·ting.

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

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Origin of tat

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

Words nearby tat

taster, -tastic, tasting, tasting menu, tasty, tat, ta ta, Tatabánya, tatahash, tatami, Tatar

Other definitions for tat (2 of 3)

tat²

[ tat ]

/ tæt /

Informal.

noun

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), tat·ted, tat·ting.

to mark (the skin) with tattoos, or put (tattoos) on the skin (often followed by up): 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.

Origin of tat

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of tattoo²

Other definitions for tat (3 of 3)

TAT

abbreviation Psychology.

Thematic Apperception Test.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tat in a sentence

Given the potential for a cyber tit-for-tat to escalate, Obama has even more incentive to find a diplomatic solution.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other feminist sites have championed objectifying men in tit-for-tat fashion as empowering women.
Full Frontal Disney: Feminism's Nudity Double Standard|Emily Shire|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lot of newspaper columns used to be written in a rat-a-tat-tat, fast-paced style—and they tended to be funny.
P.J. O’Rourke Joins The Daily Beast||December 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This series of tit-for-tat bombings has created the most violent and volatile dynamic in Lebanon since the end of the civil war.
Is Syria Being 'Lebanized' or is Lebanon Being 'Syrianized'?|Hussein Ibish|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Since then, we've been locked in an escalating tit for tat war in which the loser is our increasingly empty federal court system.
Who's to Blame for the Congressional Judicial Meltdown? Everybody.|Megan McArdle|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I was here a little while ago and nobody answered my knock, though I could hear that typewriter going rat, tat, tat all the time.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Our ears were deafened by the sharp rat-tat-tat of the machine guns, and by our own frantic anti-aircraft fire.
The Romance of His Life|Mary Cholmondeley
And yet the one is as good as the other: pass for pass, tit for tat, a Roland for an Oliver.
The Pocket R.L.S.|Robert Louis Stevenson
That's why I don't mind tackling cabmen—they sit all day, and all they've got to say is 'rat-tat,' and they've done.
Rhoda Fleming, Complete|George Meredith
In a few minutes we were replying in volume, and the rat-tat-tats of the machine-guns on either side were continuous.
War in the Garden of Eden|Kermit Roosevelt

British Dictionary definitions for tat (1 of 4)

tat¹

/ (tæt) /

verb tats, tatting or tatted

to make (something) by tatting

Word Origin for tat

C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for tat (2 of 4)

tat²

/ (tæt) /

noun

tatty articles or a tatty condition

tasteless articles

a tangled mass

Word Origin for tat

C20: back formation from tatty

British Dictionary definitions for tat (3 of 4)

tat³

/ (tæt) /

noun

short for tattoo 2 (def. 2)

British Dictionary definitions for tat (4 of 4)

tat⁴

/ (tæt) /

noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with tat

tat

see tit for tat.

tat

Origin of tat

Words nearby tat

Other definitions for tat (2 of 3)

Origin of tat

Other definitions for tat (3 of 3)

Words related to tat

How to use tat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tat (1 of 4)

Word Origin for tat

British Dictionary definitions for tat (2 of 4)

Word Origin for tat

British Dictionary definitions for tat (3 of 4)

British Dictionary definitions for tat (4 of 4)

Other Idioms and Phrases with tat