grate

1 of 3

noun

ˈgrāt 

1

: grating sense 2

2

a

: a barred frame for cooking over a fire

b

: a frame or bed of iron bars to hold a stove or furnace fire

c

: fireplace

3

obsolete : cage, prison

grate

2 of 3

verb (1)

grated; grating

transitive verb

: to furnish with a grate

the lower windows were grated

grate

3 of 3

verb (2)

grated; grating

transitive verb

1

: to reduce to small particles by rubbing on something rough

grate cheese

2

: fret, irritate

3

a

: to gnash or grind noisily

b

: to cause to make a rasping sound

c

: to utter in a harsh voice

4

archaic : abrade

intransitive verb

1

: to rub or rasp noisily

metal grating against metal

2

: to cause irritation : jar

a voice that grates on the nerves

grater noun

gratingly

ˈgrā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• gripe
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Examples of grate in a Sentence

Verb (1)

unintentionally or not, you say rude things that grate people

the sled grated along the bare pavement

he grated the pieces of metal together

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Beyond construction, the material of the grates matters. —Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2024

Many of us have experienced knee crepitus, the medical term for when your knees audibly crack, pop, click, grate or grind during movement. —New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024

Verb

Third course: Roasted broccolini and pickled peppers, jalapeno risotto, white balsamic vinaigrette and grated grana padano. —Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

Prepare to make the cheese sauce by grating and combing the cheddar and Swiss cheeses. —Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (1)

Middle English, from Medieval Latin crata, grata hurdle, alteration of Latin cratis — more at hurdle

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French grater to scratch, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German krazzōn to scratch

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1547, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

grate

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrāt 

1

: grating sense 1

2

: a frame of iron bars for holding burning fuel (as in a fireplace)

grate

2 of 2 verb

grated; grating

1

: to make into small particles by rubbing against something rough

grate cheese

2

: to grind or rub against something with a scratching noise

3

: to have a harsh or irritating effect

grater noun