rat out

rat out — phrasal verb

  • rat outbase form
  • rats out3rd person singular
  • ratting out-ing form
  • ratted outpast simple

1. to secretly tell a parent, teacher, manager, or police officer that someone has

1.片語動詞及物B2
釋義

to secretly tell a parent, teacher, manager, or police officer that someone has done something wrong or illegal, usually to avoid getting in trouble yourself or because you believe it is the right thing to do

例句

Noa ratted out his older brother to their mother after finding the stolen wallet.

rat + someone + out + to + authority — pattern with 'to'

The police caught the gang because one member ratted out the others for a lighter sentence.

rat out + someone — object after the particle

同義詞
  • tell on

    more neutral and common in everyday speech; less dramatic than 'rat out'

  • inform on

    formal and official; used in legal or police contexts

  • snitch on

    slang, strongly disapproving; common among children and teenagers

  • betray

    much stronger and more emotional; implies broken trust rather than just reporting

反義詞
  • cover for

    to protect someone by hiding the truth or lying about their actions

  • protect

    general opposite of reporting someone's wrongdoing

文法句型

rat + someone + out + (to + authority/person in charge)

rat out + someone + (to + authority/person in charge)

用法筆記

Pronoun objects (me, him, her, us, them) almost always go between 'rat' and 'out' — e.g. 'She ratted me out,' not 'She ratted out me.' With noun objects both orders are acceptable ('She ratted out her friend' / 'She ratted her friend out').

常見錯誤

❌He ratted out on his teammate.
✅He ratted out his teammate.
💡'Rat out' does not take 'on' (unlike 'tell on' or 'inform on').
❌She ratted out me to the boss.
✅She ratted me out to the boss.
💡Pronoun objects must go between 'rat' and 'out'.