rat-a-tat
1
7.6
- noun
- /ˈrætəˌtæt/
:
tac-tac
- Marched to the rat-a-tat-tat of a snare drum.
- beat a rat-a-tat
Examples
-
I could hear a distant rat-a-tat on the door, signaling that the guests had arrived.
-
She just sat across from me, drumming her beautiful red nails on the table rat-a-tat-tat and sipping from a tall Kentucky Derby glass.
Fiction book (1997) -
He tossed three more knives into the air, one after the other: rat-a-tat-tat, they struck the table.
Fiction book (1997) -
He beat a rat-a-tat on Rabbit's footstool.
Fiction book (2002) -
Long after I had gone to bed that night, I was awakened by the muffled rat-a-tat-tatting of my mother's treadle sewing machine.
Fiction book (1997) -
The drummer created a lively rhythm with a rapid rat-a-tat on the snare drum.
-
The rat-a-tat of rain against the window kept me awake all night.
Synonyms
81
1.3
A short sharp sound made by hitting a surface or by a machine problem
22
1.9
A light repeated sound made by gentle knocks
9
4.0
A quick soft series of light sounds like rain or small feet
3
3.0
A series of light, quick tapping sounds like rain or small footsteps
1
9.0
A series of short, sharp tapping sounds like knocking on a door
1
7.7
A series of quick, sharp knocks often on a door or drum
A quick repeated sound made by hitting a drum
A series of quick, sharp sounds like train wheels or high heels
A series of short, sharp metal sounds
How Repetitive
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word rat-a-tat copies the quick, sharp sound of tapping, like someone knocking at a door or a drummer beating, and you can hear the same idea in the simple word tap. So, rat-a-tat means a rapid series of short, sharp 'taps' or sounds.