grate

¹ American  

[greyt] / greɪt /

noun

• grates
  plural

1. a frame of metal bars for holding fuel when burning, as in a fireplace, furnace, or stove.

2. a framework of parallel or crossed bars, used as a partition, guard, cover, or the like; grating.

3. a fireplace.

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verb (used with object)

grated, grating

1. to furnish with a grate or grates.

grate ² American  

[greyt] / greɪt /

verb (used without object)

grated, grating

1. to have an irritating or unpleasant effect.

   His constant chatter grates on my nerves.

2. to make a sound of, or as if of, rough scraping; rasp.

3. to sound harshly; jar.

   to grate on the ear.

4. to scrape or rub with rough or noisy friction, as one thing on or against another.

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verb (used with object)

grated, grating

1. to reduce to small particles by rubbing against a rough surface or a surface with many sharp-edged openings.

   to grate a carrot.

2. to rub together with a harsh, jarring sound.

   to grate one's teeth.

3. to irritate or annoy.

   Synonyms:

   bug, rile, irk, nettle, gall, vex

4. Archaic. to wear down or away by rough friction.

grate ¹ British  

/ ɡreɪt /

noun

1. a framework of metal bars for holding fuel in a fireplace, stove, or furnace

2. a less common word for fireplace

3. another name for grating 1

4. mining a perforated metal screen for grading crushed ore

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a grate or grates

grate ² British  

/ ɡreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to reduce to small shreds by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface

   to grate carrots

2. to scrape (an object) against something or (objects) together, producing a harsh rasping sound, or (of objects) to scrape with such a sound

3. (intr; foll by on or upon) to annoy

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noun

1. a harsh rasping sound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grateless
  adjective
• gratelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grate¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin grāta “a grating, lattice,” variant of crāta, derivative of Latin crāt- (stem of crātis ) “wickerwork, hurdle”; cf. crate

Origin of grate²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English graten “to reduce to powder, crumble, grate,” from Old French grater, from Germanic; compare German kratzen “to scratch,” Swedish kratta “to rake”

Explanation

When you grate something you rip it to shreds, like a pound of solid cheese that you shred for a recipe. The verb grate entered the English language in the fourteenth century by way of the French word grater, meaning “to scrape.” Using grate in this sense, you might grate your teeth or grate a carrot, meaning rub or pulverize. By the sixteenth century the word had taken on the additional meaning of “sound harshly” and “annoy.” This evolution makes sense if you think about it: If you’ve ever had anything really annoy you — "grate on your nerves" — it can almost seem as if a cheese grater has been applied to your nerves and is slowly ripping them to shreds.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grate grates grated grating

"I had this feeling like a heavy metal grate pressing down on my face.. I was telling myself to get up, but I couldn't get up."

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

"If you just need to grate some cheese over pasta, there are alternatives," she said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026

You can use it as is or grate ginger into it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

If the squash is destined for a toast, dip or sandwich, I like to grate it or pulse it in the food processor into coarse shreds — just shy of a purée.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025

I look down and realize I'm standing on a grate.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

What grates with a lot of people in the game is that they are not asked what they think the problem is with VAR.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

Though all of the back-and-forth between Celeste and Johannes grates the viewer as it circles the drain, Charli, Zamiri and Brandes are aiming and firing at a very real and expanding phenomenon.

From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026

The key, he cautions, is to cook the chicken until it releases from the grates with little resistance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

Irvine stopped to point out some Imagineering crafted grates, which hide utilities with astrological flourishes, and said she scoured antique shops from “Pasadena to Temecula” looking for items that would fit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025

But it grates when he’s using them about me.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

As fatigue -- and anger at army scandals -- grew, that approach grated.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Finish with a generous dollop of ricotta and shower with freshly grated Parmigiano.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Bake this beautiful concoction and sprinkle flaky salt and grated lemon zest on top before serving with pasta or over slices of fresh sourdough.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026

In 2023, an American business marketing grated cheese was caught by the Consorzio’s enforcers using the word Parmesan at a German food fair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

Later in the morning a key grated in the lock, the bolt banged, and the door opened long enough for the sanitary bucket to be passed out.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The unwanted beam copies, called grating lobes, can confuse the sensor and generate false detections.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

The performance, perhaps intending to inject a note of potential menace, plays up Ru’s anger at the expense of his hurt — and comes off as grating and utterly unsympathetic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

As Selim, the visiting Turk who catches Fiorilla’s eye, bass Vincent Graña had pitch and rhythm issues, and the grating timbre of Kresley Figueroa’s big, agile soprano undercut her depiction of Fiorilla.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

None of these middling elements would be particularly grating if it weren’t so apparent that “Cars” had an ulterior capitalist motive.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

A very bright full moon was shining in the sky and by its light Michael examined the iron grating and looked through the bars.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

Related Words

• mince
• rub