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

Authorities contend Nigh removed a ceiling grate and escaped to the roof via the jail's ventilation system. —Charna Flam, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Her first shop still sits empty and derelict; graffiti has crept up its grates. —Matthew Schneier, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2025

Verb

Wash grates and filters in the sink with a sponge, using a nylon scrub-brush if needed to remove stuck-on gunk. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025

Invented by Wallace to help his canine best friend in the garden, the nifty, odd-jobbing robot gnome immediately grates on Gromit’s last nerve. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025

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