grate

1 a frame of iron bars to hold a fire [syn: grating]

2 a harsh rasping sound made by scraping something

3 a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air [syn: grating]

1 furnish with a grate; "a grated fireplace"

2 gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The unjustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" [syn: eat into, fret, rankle]

3 reduce to small shreds or pulverize by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface; "grate carrots and onions"; "grate nutmeg"

4 make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together; "grate one's teeth in anger" [syn: grind]

5 scratch repeatedly; "The cat scraped at the armchair" [syn: scrape]

English

Pronunciation

• AHD: grāt
• /greɪt/
• SAMPA: /greIt/

• Rhymes: -eɪt

Homophones

• great

Noun

1. A horizontal metal grille through which water, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot.

Synonyms

• grille

Translations

• Dutch: tralies

Verb

1. transitive cooking To shred things, usually foodstuffs, by rubbing across a grater.

   I need to grate the cheese before the potato is cooked.

2. To rub against, such as grating one's teeth.

   Listening to his teeth grate all day long drives me mad.

3. idiomatic by extension to get on one's nerves; to irritate or annoy.

   She's nice enough, but she can begin to grate on my nerves if there is no-one else to talk to.

Translations

• Spanish: rallar

Related terms

• grater
• grating
• gratings
• grate upon

Italian

Adjective

grate

1. Feminine plural form of grato

Latin

Etymology

From gratus

Adverb

1. gladly, willingly
2. gratefully, thankfully

Related terms

• grātēs
• grātia
• grātificātiō
• grātificor
• grātiīs
• grātiōsus
• grātīs
• grātor
• grātuītus
• grātulātiō
• grātulor
• grātus

• A grate is a frame of iron bars to hold fuel for a fire.
• It may also refer to a covering of a drain, also called a grating.
• It may also refer to a grater, a kitchen utensil.

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