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lab rat
[ lab-rat ]
/ ˈlæb ˌræt /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
Also called lab·o·ra·to·ry rat [lab-ruh-tawr-ee rat, lab-er-uh-] /ˈlæb rəˌtɔr i ˌræt, ˈlæb ər ə-/ . a rat, typically the Norway rat, used by scientists for biological research.
Informal. a laboratory researcher, often a graduate student, whose dedication to the research supplants other interests and activities, including personal relationships: The loneliest guy in the room is the one who’s in love with a lab rat.
Informal. the subject of any sort of experiment: Not all the human lab rats in this study fully understood the potential consequences.
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Origin of lab rat
First recorded in 1965–70
Words nearby lab rat
Labradorean, labradorescent, labradorite, Labrador retriever, Labrador tea, lab rat, labret, labrid, labroid, labrum, labrusca
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lab rat in a sentence
Dolphins and lab rats and women undergo a common internal renaissance, a dramatic overhaul of motive, with babies suddenly trumping food and sex as our raison d’etre.
How My Research Into the Biology of Mothers Helps Me Imagine a Post-Pandemic Future|Abigail Tucker|May 4, 2021|TimeExperiments with lab rats and monkeys show how chronically stressing out a new mother can stunt her maternal brain and disrupt her and her offspring’s behavior.
How My Research Into the Biology of Mothers Helps Me Imagine a Post-Pandemic Future|Abigail Tucker|May 4, 2021|TimeI minded that you were talking to her yesterday in the lab'rat'ry, before the telegram came about Mr. George.
Dr. Jonathan (A Play)|Winston Churchill