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Definition of vat

vat

/væt/
vat

Plural:vats
•
Past Simple:vatted
•
Past Participle:vatted
•
Present Participle:vatting
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vat Lexical Profile

vat Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

British A value-added tax; a type of consumption tax placed on a product whenever value is added at each stage of the supply chain.

Example

"The listed price of the new laptop is inclusive of standard vat."


2

A large tank, tub, or cask used to hold, store, or mix liquids, especially in industrial processes like brewing, dyeing, or cheese-making.

Example

"The distillery uses a massive copper vat to ferment the barley mixture."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for vat

• verb

1

To place, store, or treat a substance (especially a liquid) in a vat.

Example

"After the initial fermentation, the winemakers vat the juice to allow the complex flavors to develop over several months."

Word Nuance & Usage

When referring to the consumption tax, it is typically written as an acronym (VAT, for Value-Added Tax), whereas the container is always lowercase.

• Rhymes for vat

Word Origin & Etymology

From Middle English 'fat', from Old English 'fæt' (cask, vessel), of Germanic origin. The spelling with 'v' is originally a southern and western English dialect form that eventually became the standard.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Vat. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/vat
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