rap sheet
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rap sheet
1955–60; rap 1 (in the slang sense “a criminal charge”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The father should have been disqualified from taking in Tilly Servin because he has a rap sheet longer than a novel,” said Brian Claypool, an attorney representing Servin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Sure, bunnies are cute, but Bugs Bunny must have a rap sheet as long as his arm.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2025
He had a rap sheet stretching back to the 1970s, according to French regional media outlet France 3.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
The FBI says the rap sheet is based on fingerprint submissions from “authorized criminal justice agencies.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
Yeah, that's it, rap sheets, which is such a dumb name because it makes me think of rap music, like maybe a rap sheet is what rappers write their rhymes down on.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
