grate1
/ɡreɪt
/verb
1 [with object] Reduce (food) to small shreds by rubbing it on a grater: (as adjective grated) grated cheese...
- I spent the evening cooking the meat, heating the refried beans, grating cheese, shredding lettuce, chopping vegetables and frying the tortillas.
- Depending on age and skill level, many children can grate cheese, shred lettuce, mix batter, and more.
- Place all dried fruits, grated apple, mixed peel, cherries, rinds and juices into a large mixing bowl and pour over the brandy/rum and essences.
Synonyms
shred, rub into pieces, pulverize, mince, grind, granulate, crush, crumble, mash, smash, fragment, macerate
technical triturate
2 [no object] Make an unpleasant rasping sound: the hinges of the door grated...
- The sound of stone grating on stone echoed in her ears as two more openings appeared on the wall she was running toward, and sand started pouring out of them.
- Jake chuckled, it sounded like nails grating on a chalk board as he hopped up onto the stained mattress above Asia's head.
- As the sound grated through my fluffy pillows, I sighed heavily, and debated whether I should bother getting up for school.
Synonyms
rasp, scrape, jar, scratch, grind, rub, drag, grit;
squeak, screech, creak
2.1 [with direct speech] Say something in a harsh tone: ‘How dare you!’ he grated...
- "Okay, fine," he grated out. "I'll play your damned game and then you let me leave. Agreed?"
- 'I can't have,' he grated in a terrible rage, 'I've got £93000 in my current account."
- "Listen to me, baby," he grated out, capturing her chin.
3 [no object] Have an irritating effect: the buzzing sound grated on her nerves...
- However annoying it was and however much it grated on her nerves, something in the back of her mind told her to leave it as it was.
- As ever, his arrogance and ignorance grated on everyone who cannot abide him, and left those who adore him in raptures.
- It grated on him when his advice was not heeded, more so because it often turned out that he had been more right than wrong.
Synonyms
irritate, set someone's teeth on edge, jar;
irk, exasperate, annoy, vex, nettle, peeve, rankle, anger, rub up the wrong way, chafe, fret, eat away at
informal get on someone's nerves, get under someone's skin, rile, aggravate, get someone's goat
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French grater, of Germanic origin; related to German kratzen 'to scratch'.
Grate ‘to shred’ is from Old French grater ‘grate, scratch’, of Germanic origin; it is related to German kratzen ‘to scratch’. People have being saying that something grates upon them since the early 17th century. The grate in a fire was originally a general word for ‘a grating’: it comes from Old French, based on Latin cratis ‘hurdle’, also found in griddle (Middle English), grill (mid 17th century), grille (mid 17th century), and grid (mid 19th century).
Rhymes
grate2
/ɡreɪt/noun
1The recess of a fireplace or furnace: a small coal fire burned in the grate...
- We were met by Bob's wife and welcomed as though we had got there on time. There was a lovely coal fire burning in the grate, which had been kept ‘banked up’ all day pending our arrival.
- When everyone seemed to be looking the other way, Mr Wright slipped into another room and took off his outfit, and then he quietly returned to the fireside where only a very small fire burned in the grate and sat down.
- Some people may opt for electric or gas heaters, instant warmth, but nothing beats the smell and atmosphere of logs burning in the grate, on the barbeque or on a camp fire somewhere.
1.1A metal frame for holding fuel in a fireplace or furnace.Some had fireplaces with grates, others stoves and some a combination stove and oven....
- Anthony then sees the grate of the fireplace wide open, and fire burning strongly.
- She pointed out, glancing over at its flames, burning on the grate.
2A grating.He progressed gingerly towards the gauze grate in the grimy iron girdered floor and was careful not to get too close as he peered into the gloom below....
- The windows to the building are covered with mesh grates, the doors locked.
- Half-way through rolling it, something peculiar revealed itself: a metal grate in the floor.
Origin
Middle English (meaning 'a grating'): from Old French, based on Latin cratis 'hurdle'.