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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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of tat

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

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

Just make sure the tats can be discreetly and completely covered.
Disney Parks’ Craziest Corporate Rules: Beards OK, Tattoos Still Out||January 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Viggo covered in prison tats, issuing a vicious, butt-naked beat-down in the Russian mobster drama Eastern Promises.
Viggo Mortensen on Playing Freud in ‘A Dangerous Method’|Chris Lee|November 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The three estates of the realm are the three orders (tats) into which all natural-born subjects are legally divided: viz.
Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 98, September 13, 1851|Various
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

Mes tats vous offrent une retraite paisible: je vous veux du bien, & je vous en ferai, si vous le trouvez bon.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2)|John Hill Burton
The Huichol Indians also know it and raise it; they call it tats.
Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)|Carl Lumholtz
La frocit et la dbauche, lanarchie et la pauvret taient dans tous les tats.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly

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

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