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

The latest appliances can chop, shred, slice, grind, grate, dice, knead, and puree at the touch of a button. —Emily Peck, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024

Age discrimination, the shock of job displacement, and the ordinary wear tear that comes from work (The Jackal got knocked off a horse; was strung up by his arms; and stayed still under a floor grate for about 24 hours. —Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024

Verb

Toss grated butter with the flour in a medium-sized bowl until all pieces of butter are coated with flour. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024

Peel the turmeric and ginger with a vegetable peeler (wear gloves—turmeric root stains!), then grate into a medium saucepot. —Vogue, 5 Dec. 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