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Synonyms

tat

1 American  
[tat] / tæt /

verb (used with or without object)

tatted, tatting

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

tat 2 American  
[tat] / tæt /

noun

  1. 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)

tatted, tatting

  1. to mark (the skin) with tattoos, or put (tattoos) on the skin (often followed byup ).

    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.
TAT 3 American  

abbreviation

Psychology.

  1. Thematic Apperception Test.

tat 1 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. tatty articles or a tatty condition

  2. tasteless articles

  3. a tangled mass

"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
tat 2 British  
/ tæt /

verb

  1. to make (something) by tatting

"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
tat 3 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. short for tattoo 2

"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
tat 4 British  
/ tæt /

noun

  1. 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
tat Idioms  

  1. see tit for tat.

Etymology

Origin of tat1

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

Origin of tat2

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of tattoo 2 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"There's a lot of tat people have bought and are selling at stupid prices," she said.

From BBC

Is he worried his prosecutions set off today’s “tit for tat”? Nah, said Mr. Smith.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The concern for the public and for representative democracy is that you’re going to have a lot of tit for tat moving forward,” Skelley told Salon.

From Salon

Instead of tit for tat, the prime minister is pivoting Canada with precision toward alternative trade blocs like Europe and the Pacific Rim.

From Salon

Tom Tugendhat appeared to enjoy the Conservative Party Conference – handing out tat, sorry, memorabilia to anyone willing to take it: smarties, baseball caps, pens, notepads, even lollipops with a picture of him in the middle.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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