rat-tat

5 7.7

A series of quick, sharp knocks often on a door or drum

noun
/ˈrætˌtæt/

: tac-tac

So he gave a little rat tat tat on the door and Carl was like, yeah, I've, I've got her upstairs.

Examples

The children loved the rat-tat of the drummer as he played during the parade.
We heard a quick rat-tat at the door, so I went to see who was there.
As she practiced, the rat-tat of her fingers on the drum provided a lively rhythm.

Synonyms

knock

vsrat-tat

242 1.3

A short sharp sound made by hitting a surface or by a machine problem

focuses on a repeated series of short sharp sounds instead

tapping

vsrat-tat

72 1.9

A light repeated sound made by gentle knocks

is stronger and sharper rather than light or gentle in sound

knocking

vsrat-tat

37 2.2

A sharp repeated sound from a door or machine when parts hit each other

is more specific about short sharp taps on doors or drums

to clack

vsrat-tat

11 7.2

To make short, sharp clicking sounds

is similar but implies clear sharp taps on door or drum

rap

vsrat-tat

5 2.1

A short sharp knock on a surface to get attention

is a continuous series of short sharp sounds rather than one hit

rat-a-tat

vsrat-tat

3 7.6

A quick series of short, sharp taps like knocking or drumbeats

is the same meaning but is the alternate shorter variant

rat-a-tat-tat

vsrat-tat

2 9.0

A series of short, sharp tapping sounds like knocking on a door

is the same meaning but differs slightly in form or repetition

How Loud

clatter

20 4.0

rat-tat

5 7.7

patter

10 4.0

tap

57 1.0

Surface Forms

rat-tat singular

rat-tats plural

Etymology

The word rat-tat is a word that copies a quick, sharp sound, split into two beats, rat and tat, like the 'taps' you hear at a door or on a drum. So, rat-tat means a series of short knocks or taps.