Showing results for "rap"

• a variation of rap music.

rap

¹ American  

[rap] / ræp /

verb (used with object)

rapped, rapping

1. to strike, especially with a quick, smart, or light blow.

   He rapped the door with his cane.

2. to utter sharply or vigorously.

   to rap out a command.

3. (of a spirit summoned by a medium) to communicate (a message) by raps (often followed byout ).

4. Slang. to criticize sharply.

   Critics could hardly wait to rap the play.

5. Slang. to arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime.

6. Metallurgy. to jar (a pattern) loose from a sand mold.

---

verb (used without object)

rapped, rapping

1. to knock smartly or lightly, especially so as to make a noise.

   to rap on a door.

2. Slang. to talk or discuss, especially freely, openly, or volubly; chat.

3. Slang. to talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music.

noun

1. a quick, smart, or light blow.

   a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.

2. the sound produced by such a blow.

   They heard a loud rap at the door.

3. Slang. blame or punishment, especially for a crime.

4. Slang. a criminal charge.

   a murder rap.

5. Slang. response, reception, or judgment.

   The product has been getting a very bad rap.

6. Slang.

   1. a talk, conversation, or discussion; chat.

   2. talk designed to impress, convince, etc.; spiel.

      a high-pressure sales rap.

7. rap music.

idioms

1. take the rap, to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another.

   He took the rap for the burglary.

2. beat the rap, to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted.

   The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.

rap ² American  

[rap] / ræp /

noun

1. the least bit; the smallest amount; jot; iota.

   I don't care a rap.

2. a counterfeit halfpenny formerly passed in Ireland.

---

rap ³ American  

[rap] / ræp /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

rapped, rapt, rapping

1. to carry off; transport.

2. to transport with rapture.

3. to seize for oneself; snatch.

---

rap ¹ British  

/ ræp /

verb

1. to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock

   he rapped at the door

2. (intr) to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking

3. (tr) to rebuke or criticize sharply

4. to put (forth) in sharp rapid speech; utter in an abrupt fashion

   to rap out orders

5. slang (intr) to talk, esp volubly

6. (intr) to perform a rhythmic monologue with a musical backing

7. to reprimand

---

noun

1. a sharp quick blow or the sound produced by such a blow

2. a sharp rebuke or criticism

3. slang voluble talk; chatter

   stop your rap

4. 1. a fast, rhythmic monologue over a prerecorded instrumental track

   2. ( as modifier )

      rap music

5. slang a legal charge or case

6. slang to escape punishment or be acquitted of a crime

7. slang to suffer the consequences of a mistake, misdeed, or crime, whether guilty or not

rap ² British  

/ ræp /

verb

1. informal a variant spelling of wrap wrap

---

rap ³ British  

/ ræp /

noun

1. (used with a negative) the least amount (esp in the phrase not to care a rap )

---

rap Cultural  

1. A form of pop music characterized by spoken or chanted rhymed lyrics, with a syncopated, repetitive accompaniment. Rap music originated in the second half of the twentieth century in black urban communities. (See also hip-hop.)

---

rap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rap

• beat the rap
• bum rap
• not give a damn (rap)
• take the rap

---

Other Word Forms

• rapping
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rap¹

First recorded in 1300–50; 1960–65 rap ¹ for def. 8; Middle English verb rappen; akin to Swedish rappa “to beat, drub,” German rappeln “to rattle”; the senses “to talk” and “conversation, talk” are perhaps of distinct origin, though the hypothesis that these meanings are a shortening of repartee is questionable

Origin of rap²

First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain

Origin of rap³

First recorded in 1520–30; back formation from rapt

Explanation

To rap is to hit something, talk, or bust into rhymes like the Fat Boys in the rap song “Human Beat Box” (1984). That’s some old school Brooklyn rap, but you can rap to any beat you want. Hit it! A rap is a knock or blow, like if you rap somebody upside the head as a gentle reminder to pay attention. The word rap also means, "reputation,” like if you get a bad rap at school for sleeping in class. It’s also "to talk at great length." And there’s the musical rap, the “genre that includes talking rhythmically over a beat.” This meaning comes from African American slang for, basically, "talking.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rap rapped rapping rapt

Banks won a Grammy in February 2024 for best melodic rap performance for “All My Life” featuring J. Cole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

More than a decade after scam rap emerged from the buzzier, grimier corners of Detroit hip-hop, a scammer anthem from a South Floridian is arguably the song of the summer.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

Prosecutors have also named Knight, although it's unclear if the rap empresario will testify, as he's previously said he would not.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Yet for Uefa, and a few other national associations, the rap sheet is now too long.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

I rap my knuckles on it and admire the clang.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

"At first, I thought, 'Is this even a song?' But they looked so cool dancing while they rapped that boys started copying them."

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

In 2017, he rapped the court for dodging a California law restricting concealed-carry permits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

He rapped alongside Tupac Shakur in hip-hop groups Outlawz and Thug Life in the ’90s and continued to release music after his stepbrother’s death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

He rapped about the hardships of Nepali farmers in his politically conscious song—“Prashna,” meaning “Question”—over a gritty, Wu-Tang Clan-style beat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

I’ve always heard that my dad got caught up in the streets because he rapped about the streets.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

"We were playing instruments, they were rapping and playing their instruments," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Drug testing officials, rapping on the hotel doors of Pogacar and rival Jonas Vingegaard, in the middle of the night, deep REM time, reportedly with permission from a French judge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Even megastar Bruno Mars joins in on the fun, gamely rapping the cowbell on “Never Wanna Lose You.”

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

So I wrote songs, I started rapping to entertain myself.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

I glance up at Sandy, who’s rapping his knuckles on the desk.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

The tears, Sherman reassured her rapt audience, were “largely exhaustion.”

From Slate ● May 1, 2026

It's now 24 years since Rhona Martin delivered the Stone of Destiny in Salt Lake City, watched by millions of rapt viewers at dark o'clock in the UK.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

He told the CBC that it took hundreds of attempts to capture these slow-burning masterworks, and all these years later, hygge-seekers remain rapt.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025

My daughters shared popcorn and watched with rapt attention as the contestants vying for Matt James’s heart made their grand entrances from a limousine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

At the black empathy box his wife crouched, her face rapt.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• knock
• scold