rat-a-tat-tat
1
9.0
- noun
- /ˈrætəˌtætˌtæt/
:
tac-tac-tac
- Marched to the rat-a-tat-tat of a snare drum.
- rat-a-tat-tat of the machine
Examples
-
The children heard a rat-a-tat-tat on the door and rushed to see who it was.
-
A musket discharges, a sound more like an explosion than like the rat-a-tat-tat of our pieces.
Fiction book (1993) -
He tossed three more knives into the air, one after the other: rat-a-tat-tat, they struck the table.
Fiction book (1997) -
Rat-a-tat-tat, boy.
-
The mop bangs against lockers, and Pinky loves the rat-a-tat-tat off the empty doors.
Fiction book (2000) -
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) -
The ball hits the young nurse in the chest, and she staggers backward and falls in a spray of blood just as the rat-a-tat-tat of assault rifles barks in the hot air.
Fiction book (1993) -
The drummer kept a fast rat-a-tat-tat rhythm that energized the crowd.
-
During the storm, the rain made a constant rat-a-tat-tat on the roof.
Synonyms
25
2.1
A short sharp knock on a surface to get attention
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
7.6
A quick series of short, sharp taps like knocking or drumbeats
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 short, sharp metal sounds
A series of quick, sharp sounds like train wheels or high heels
A short sharp knocking sound like a quick tap
How Repetitive
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word rat-a-tat-tat is a word that copies a quick knocking sound, with the repeated tat sounding like 'tap, tap, tap'. So, rat-a-tat-tat describes a series of short, sharp taps, like knocking on a door or the rapid beat of a drum.