grate

¹ American  

[grayt] / 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  

[grayt] / 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

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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”

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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

"It's beginning to grate on me because I can't partake in helping with my defence," he said, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

I like to finely grate or purée zucchini and carrots into the mixture for extra juiciness.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026

There should have been a grate, like at all the other openings, but this one was missing.

From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon

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

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

In the Fashion District on Friday morning, workers hoisted up the metal grates protecting storefronts, strung up canopies and set up racks of clothing and signs advertising sales for $1 accessories, $2 shirts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026

Yes, it has become a commercial beast and the rampant hyping of the brand grates, but the essence of what makes the Lions special is strong and apparently unbreakable.

From BBC ● May 7, 2025

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

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

A flat piece of fried dough typically topped with sour cream, garlic and grated cheese, ordinary lángos is best sampled at the city’s market halls, for 1/100th the price of Stand’s tasting menu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The zucchini I grated into those brownie-inspired muffins certainly lodged no complaint as it disappeared beneath the cocoa and dark chocolate.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

The other day, I grated two enormous zucchini into a bowl containing a quarter-can of pumpkin, brown sugar, cocoa powder and enough chopped bittersweet chocolate to make the whole operation look suspiciously like brownie batter.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

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

Carrots and some grated white turnip to make it pretty.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The opera company’s summer season featured impressive stagings of Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’ and Gregory Spears’s ‘Fellow Travelers,’ as well as grating versions of ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Madama Butterfly.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Even though I find loudcasting intensely grating, I have never registered an official complaint and have only occasionally asked other passengers to turn the volume down on their device.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

When I told Ma I was closing the shop to go see Mrs. Kuen, she paused in the middle of grating a potato to study me.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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Related Words

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