rap
1[ rap ]
/ ræp /
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verb (used with object), rapped, rap·ping.
verb (used without object), rapped, rap·ping.
noun
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT 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
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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.