rat out

rat out — 片語動詞

  • 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

出賣；告密

向權威人士揭發別人的不當行為

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.

Noa 在床底下發現偷來的錢包後，向媽媽出賣了他的哥哥。

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

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

警方之所以能抓到那個幫派，是因為其中一名成員為了獲得較輕的刑期而出賣了其他人。

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'.