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tat

[tat]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tat ON THESAURUS.COM

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

to do, or make by, tatting.

RELATED CONTENT

quid pro quo
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RELATED WORDS

knit, entangle, cord, secure, bind, tie, tether, loop, associate, braid, connect, convolute, crisscross, cross, entwine, interlace, link, mesh, network, relate

Origin of tat

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

TAT

Thematic Apperception Test.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tat

Contemporary Examples of tat

Historical Examples of tat

  • And they think you are resolved to break theirs: so tit for tat, Miss.

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • To his uncomplicated nature the affair was still one of tit for tat.

    Fraternity

    John Galsworthy

  • The affair now had simmered down to plain temper and tit for tat.

    Desert Dust

    Edwin L. Sabin

  • Well, considering Harrison's qualifications, it might still not be tit for tat.

    Citadel

    Algirdas Jonas Budrys

  • At any rate, he turned to Cæsar, and said slowly, 'Tit for tat.

    The Hill

    Horace Annesley Vachell

British Dictionary definitions for tat

tat

1

verb tats, tatting or tatted

to make (something) by tatting

Word Origin for tat

C19: of unknown origin

tat

2

noun

tatty articles or a tatty condition
tasteless articles
a tangled mass

Word Origin for tat

C20: back formation from tatty

tat

3

noun

short for tattoo 2 (def. 2)

tat

4

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
Word Origin and History for tat
v.

1882, "to do tatting," back-formation from tatting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for tat

TAT

abbr.

Thematic Apperception Test
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with tat

tat

see tit for tat.

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