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

After the crocodile ate a bird that had flown in, staff moved the reptile outside and used cinder blocks to weigh down the grate keeping it closed.

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

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

From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026

A grate of orange zest — carrot and citrus are conspirators this time of year.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026

I look down into the square grate above the forecastle.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Pope Leo’s visit this week will mark a milestone for an architectural wonder whose wild popularity grates on some locals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025

Stone grates against stone, and all goes silent.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

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

I grated a ripe tomato into a bowl, an operation I find disproportionately satisfying.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 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

A blare of whistling feedback grated on every eardrum in the building.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Working, after all, is how a majority of people must spend most of their waking hours, and toiling away in an industry or at a position you find grating will undoubtedly make you miserable.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 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 grating sound came from the dragon's throat like the noise of an avalanche far off, stones falling among mountains.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• mince
• rub