lat

1 of 3

noun

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
Squeeze your shoulder blades together to set your lats, then engage your core. Men's Health, 11 July 2023 Dealing with a lat strain, however, Crawford wasn’t able to take part in the baseball drills during camp but still remained involved, often spotted chatting behind the batting cage or offering to assist the coaches. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 After getting his lats nice and strong, Washington leaves the windmill and meets Clémence Poésy from Harry Potter, who is tasked with delivering some equally magical exposition. Nate Jones, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024 And now, to start this spring, Crawford has been shut down for the next three to four weeks after straining his lat playing catch before camp began. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024 Lift legs and extend arms overhead simultaneously, engaging back, lats, glutes, and shoulders. Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023 These include your latissimus dorsi (lats, the broadest of your back muscles), rear deltoids (a shoulder muscle), rhomboids (upper back muscles), and biceps (upper arm muscles). Jenny McCoy, SELF, 17 Jan. 2024 On the other hand, pulling exercises target the back of your body, like your lats, lower traps, and rhomboids, while your biceps help it along. Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 19 Dec. 2023 Lawnmowers force you to pull the kettlebell from the floor and pull the weight across your body, putting the lats through a range of motion that rivals that of any gym machine. Men's Health, 23 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lat was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near lat

Cite this Entry

“Lat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

lat

noun
: latissimus dorsi
usually used in plural
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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