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

Thanks for several chuckles — especially your response to the reader who questioned the existence of editors at the Times: “Thats a grate queston.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

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

The next day, the grate and the cinder blocks were still there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

"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

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

Some residents mounted grates on the backs of their motorcycles to take the injured to health clinics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Metal grates and sandbags were used to prevent debris from floating into storm drains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

Little waterfalls trickle through the sewer grates down the street.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

But if you’re a dipping sauce kind of person, mix the leftover egg yolks with 1 cup of oil, lemon juice, grated garlic and some salt and pepper to make an aioli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Pesto is made here with basil, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and grated cheese, all ground to a thick paste.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Finish with finely grated lemon zest and a confetti of chopped chives.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

The sparrow’s claws screeched and grated on the roofing slates as the weighted rope pulled her downwards on the steep slope.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

It can be grating to send estimated quarterly tax payments to the IRS.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The way AI talks to us is grating and disingenuous—and can even be harmful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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

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

Behind the door with the grating that Cockerell unlocked for her something moved.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• mince
• rub