tat

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈtat 

tatted; tatting

intransitive verb

: to work at tatting

transitive verb

: to make by tatting

tat

2 of 5

noun (1)

ˈtat 

variants or Tat

: a small protein produced by a lentivirus (such as HIV) that greatly increases the rate of viral transcription and replication and enhances the susceptibility of T cells to infection

also : the viral gene that codes for the tat protein

tat

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noun (2)

ˈtat 

chiefly US slang

: a tattoo on a person's skin

He pulls up his shirt to show us his tats.

—Dave Eggers

tat

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verb (2)

tatted; tatting

transitive verb

1

chiefly US slang : to mark or color the skin with tattoos : tattoo

The benefit of getting tatted at a festival is that you have more than 200 artists from which to choose.

—Kellie Hwang

—often used with up

… say you're not a gang member, yet hang out with gang members, get tatted up with gang symbols or nicknames …

—Kimberly Edds

2

chiefly US slang : to mark (something) with something like a tattoo

Cargo trains, all rusted and tatted with graffiti, occasionally pass on the neighboring track.

—Kara Starzyk

—often used with up

My passport got tatted up pretty good this year. I hit a dozen countries on five continents, as well as eight states.

—The Chicago Sun-Times

TAT

5 of 5

abbreviation

thematic apperception test

Examples of tat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Oscar winner has tons of tattoos, including finger tats and an ode to her Broadway musical, The Outsiders, which won the coveted Best Musical trophy at the ceremony. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 June 2024

An exuberant Barry Keoghan, covered in tats, plays her careless if loving father, while the great German actor Franz Rogowski plays the title character. —Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 18 May 2024

Verb

Note to self: Try to find where Justin Theroux has this tatted on his own body. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 June 2024

In March 2023, footage surfaced of Gyllenhaal, tatted up and in character, confronting Hieron, who plays Dalton's competitor Jack Harris, at a UFC event. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

back-formation from tatting

Noun (1)

trans-activating transcriptional regulation

Noun (2)

by shortening

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1858, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

1985, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1981, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1982, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tat

• rat-a-tat
• rat-a-tat-tat

Kids Definition

tat

verb

ˈtat

tatted; tatting

: to work at or make by tatting

Medical Definition

tat

1 of 2 noun

ˈtat 

often capitalized

1

: a small protein produced by a lentivirus (as HIV) within infected cells that greatly increases the rate of viral transcription and replication and that is also secreted extracellularly where it plays a role in increasing viral replication in newly infected cells and in enhancing the susceptibility of T cells to infection

called also tat protein

2

: the viral gene that codes for the tat protein

TAT

2 of 2 abbreviation

thematic apperception test