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 like to grate the cheese from a fresh block or chunk and add it once my soup is done heating up.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

"You can grate it, it's salty, it has a nice texture, it can be added to pasta. And it's just really cool to see… the fermentation can help it become delicious."

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 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

This parlour looked gloomy: a neglected handful of fire burnt low in the grate; and, leaning over it, with his head supported against the high, old-fashioned mantelpiece, appeared the blind tenant of the room.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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

The Seattle entrepreneur, who also campaigned for Harris, said it grates on her to see people laughing in restaurants “as if nothing had happened.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

“It—it grates on me when you ask for sympathy, that’s all.”

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

Fresh lemon juice adds vibrancy, while freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which is cooked in the sauce and sprinkled on top of the served pasta, adds a beautiful nuttiness.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

Stir a spoonful into hot pasta with a splash of pasta water and grated parmesan, and you get something creamy and cohesive in seconds.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026

The branches twisted and grated against each other like broken teeth.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

It’s a little grating to see boorish Tony offer him business tips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The system accurately steered the beam across a broad field of view without producing any grating lobes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Older generations might find it grating and simplistic, at least initially.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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

Running diagonally across the pool, from the brickwork of the bridge near the opposite bank to a point a little below them on their own side, was a grating of thin, vertical iron rods.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• mince
• rub