1
as in indictment
a formal claim of criminal wrongdoing against a person
the headlines in the paper today are all about the mayor facing an embezzlement rap
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2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the doctor used a little hammer to give me a rap on the knee to test my reflexes
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3
as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
would sooner take the rap for the missing money than tell on his friend
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as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
after our pickup softball game, I had a friendly rap with a couple of the guys in the park
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as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
I don't care a rap about losing that old jacket
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1
as in to smack
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
a childhood memory of the time he got his knuckles rapped for trying to steal candy from the corner store
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2
as in to drum
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
the impatient man was rapping his knuckles on the door, hoping to wake up the sleeping attendant
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as in to chat
to engage in casual or rambling conversation
the guys at the gym never seem to tire about rapping about basketball
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1
as in to entrance
to fill with overwhelming emotion (as wonder or delight)
concertgoers were utterly rapped by the power of Handel's oratorio
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2
as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
suddenly the hawk swooped down and rapped the unwary rodent
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of rap
Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Now, Shimmy’s druggy earworms and tropical two-step anthems are the gold standard of South Florida rap.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2024
In it, HiTech are hooked up to strings like marionettes, use their own hands to create shadow puppets, and rap their verses alongside twerking ladies.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rap 
Noun
Lamar has dual critical and commercial bona fides, a pairing that not all of his mainstream rap contemporaries have access to.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Now, Shimmy’s druggy earworms and tropical two-step anthems are the gold standard of South Florida rap.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
As Lamar raps in furious counterpoint with a sizzling Tupac sample, the music telegraphs big drama ahead.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2024
In it, HiTech are hooked up to strings like marionettes, use their own hands to create shadow puppets, and rap their verses alongside twerking ladies.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rap
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Cite this Entry
“Rap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rap. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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