# NATS

/ˈnæts/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/nats
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. political party members

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Dialect

A short name for members or supporters of a National Party, especially in New Zealand or South Africa.

For teachers: A diminutive or colloquial shorthand for members of a National Party. Often used in political journalism within Commonwealth contexts.

- The Nats are leading in the latest polls before the election.
- Political analysts suggested that the Nats would need to form a coalition with minor parties to secure a majority in the upcoming parliament.

Usage: Usually capitalized and used with the definite article 'the'.

### 2. computing technology

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

Stands for Network Address Translation. In computing, this is the plural form for systems that help devices connect to the internet.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Network Address Translation. Refers to multiple instances or configurations of the protocol used to remap one IP address space into another.

- The network engineer had to configure several NATs to manage the office traffic.
- Implementing multiple NATs across the enterprise architecture helped isolate the internal subnets from direct external exposure.

Usage: Often written in all capitals; the 's' remains lowercase.

### 3. plural nickname

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

The plural form of the name Nat, used when talking about more than one person with that name.

For teachers: The pluralised form of the hypocorism Nat, typically derived from Nathan, Nathaniel, or Natalie.

- There are three different Nats in my primary school class.
- The gathering was confusing because both Nats were standing in the same corner of the room.

## Examples

- NATS manages thousands of flights across the UK every day.
- A technical failure at NATS caused widespread flight cancellations across several major European airports last summer.
- While NATS is a public-private partnership, it remains the sole entity responsible for the high-altitude en-route air traffic services that ensure safety within the busy London Flight Information Region.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.