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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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 /

noun

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

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rap ³ British  

/ ræp /

verb

1. informal a variant spelling of wrap wrap

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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.)

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rap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rap

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

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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

British rap superstar Stormzy ripped ligaments in his fingers, external the first time he played netball.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

I’m one of the few still kvetching about rap music and why isn’t “Saturday Night Live” funny anymore?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

“We had a writer from Seattle who always said the city gets a bad rap because of the rain,” Kittrell says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

"Ceuzany is capable of injecting a bit of rap into coladeira. She is just as comfortable with urban music artists as she is with traditional ones," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

I started tapping a rap rhythm on the dumpster.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

"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

She said Ms Parton responded but she couldn't tell what she said then after the front door was rapped, she went back downstairs.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

The crowd rapped along passionately, creating a collective moment of tribute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2025

They worked with military efficiency as the hare rapped out orders.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Her singing and rapping were as sharp as ever, but the effect wasn’t quite the same without Angelica’s sisters in the background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

“High Fives” is a bit more uptempo and finds Drake rapping instead of singing, but low-stakes lyrics and ultimate tunelessness leave little impression.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

"I'm getting up and doing a wee bit of rapping, so I am," he told BBC News NI.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Before that, he tried his hand at rapping and worked as a foreclosure-prevention counselor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025

And I lay not in Osh’s bed but on the floor alongside my own, unhappy that the rain on the roof, rapping its wet fingers on the window-panes, made it impossible to hear him breathing.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

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

Former skipper Joe Root was equally rapt to finally get a win on Australian soil, but acknowledged it came too late with the Ashes already lost.

From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025

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

He looked up, grateful for the rapt attention the men were giving him.

From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi

Related Words

• knock
• scold