lat

1 of 3

noun

ˈlat 

plural lats

informal

: a broad, flat muscle of the middle and lower back : latissimus dorsi

—usually plural

In centuries past, people did not act like captive hamsters. If a person chopped wood or ran a long way, it was because he or she needed fuel or wanted to get somewhere. Now we do such things to fit into new pants or develop our lats.

—Rick Telander

lat

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

latitude

LAT

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

local apparent time

Examples of lat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

He was pressed into the Yankees’ season-opening rotation due to a rash of injuries, including to ace Gerrit Cole, who underwent season-ending elbow surgery last month, and Luis Gil, who is expected to miss at least two more months with a high-grade lat strain. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025

Luis Gil, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, is expected to miss at least three months due to a high-grade lat strain, and Clarke Schmidt will start the season on the IL due to a shoulder issue. —Mark Ross, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025

Luis Gil is sidelined for the time being with a lat strain, and Clarke Schmidt is out with a shoulder injury. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025

Schmidt missed three months last season with a lat strain. —Chris Kirschner, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lat

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Medical Definition

lat

noun

ˈlat 

: latissimus dorsi

—usually used in plural