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 /

verb

1. informal a variant spelling of wrap wrap

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rap ³ 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 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

It was a deliberate and visible acknowledgment that Marsh did not view rap in the pejorative sense that far too many of his colleagues and music fans did — and still do.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Prenuptial agreements, better known as prenups, have historically gotten a bad rap.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

The bereaved received rap demos that Elsesser’s brother and his friends had recorded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Nearly five years into her series, in 2020, she bagged her first big name outside the rap scene: Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

In the very meridian of the night’s enjoyment, about an hour after tea, a rap was heard at the door.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Dre also rapped a verse—in fact, he originally intended to use the song for his next album, according to “Only God Can Judge Me.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The artist reached out to the crowd as he rapped in Spanish, fans jumping and raising their phones to take pictures and document the moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

In Zambia, Speed plunged in the Devil's Pool on the very edge of the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or Victoria Falls, and rapped with Zambian hip-hop pioneer Slapdee.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026

Then it came to me, and I rapped my knuckles on top of the largest suitcase.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

But we weren’t thinking about making hip-hop beats and rapping 30 years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

"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

But the nonchalance of the sapphic romance portrayed in the video for 2025’s “First Luv,” and the ferocious rapping of “Shagidi” show this is an ambitious band with influence and inventiveness, too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

No more swinging, slapping, or bed-destroying; just gentle rapping, proof of an afterlife.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

At one of the season’s signature tech conferences, Huang on Tuesday held a large audience rapt discussing the positive potential of artificial intelligence with Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Was he too rapt by his proximity to the most powerful man in the world?

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 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

He does not even lift an eyebrow at feats that elicit applause or gasps, or the occasional shriek of surprise, from the rest of the rapt audience.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• knock
• scold