rap
1[ rap ]
/ ræp /
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verb (used with object), rapped, rap·ping.
verb (used without object), rapped, rap·ping.
noun
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Idioms for rap
beat the rap, Slang. to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted: The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.
take the rap, Slang. to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another: He took the rap for the burglary.
Origin of rap
1First recorded in 1300–50; 1960–65 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
Words nearby rap
Ranvier, Ranvier's node, raob, RAOC, Raoult's law, rap, rapacious, Rapacki, Rapacki Plan, Rapallo, Rapamune
Definition for rap (2 of 3)
rap2
[ rap ]
/ ræp /
noun
Origin of rap
2First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain
Definition for rap (3 of 3)
rap3
[ rap ]
/ ræp /
verb (used with object), rapped or rapt, rap·ping.Archaic.
to carry off; transport.
to transport with rapture.
to seize for oneself; snatch.
Origin of rap
3First recorded in 1520–30; back formation from rapt
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for rap
British Dictionary definitions for rap (1 of 3)
rap1
/ (ræp) /
verb raps, rapping or rapped
noun
Derived forms of rap
rapping, nounWord Origin for rap
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish rappa to beat
British Dictionary definitions for rap (2 of 3)
rap2
/ (ræp) /
noun
(used with a negative) the least amount (esp in the phrase not to care a rap)
Word Origin for rap
C18: probably from ropaire counterfeit coin formerly current in Ireland
British Dictionary definitions for rap (3 of 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for rap
rap
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with rap
rap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.