grate

To rub food against a tool with sharp holes to make small pieces.

• Grate some cheese over the pasta.
• She grated two carrots for the salad.
• Can you grate the ginger into this bowl?

Similar words: shred

Common phrases: grate cheese, grate a carrot, grate lemon zest

To annoy someone, especially through a repeated sound or behaviour.

• Her laugh began to grate.
• His loud voice grates on me.
• After a while, those repeated jokes grated on everyone.

How to use it: grate on someone/something (His constant humming grates on my nerves.)

Similar words: annoy, irritate

Opposites: please

Common phrases: grate on someone, grate on nerves

To make a harsh scraping sound, often when two surfaces rub together.

• The old gears grated loudly.
• The door grated across the stone floor.
• I heard his teeth grate as he slept.

How to use it: grate against something (The rusty gate grated against the post.)

Similar words: scrape, rasp, grind

Common phrases: grate against something, grate across something

To rub something against a surface so that it makes a rough, unpleasant sound.

• He grated the blade against the stone.
• She grated the chair legs over the rough floor.
• Do not grate that metal bar against the wall.

How to use it: grate something against something (He grated the metal edge against the stone.)

Similar words: scrape, rasp

Common phrases: grate against something, grate over something

To say something in a harsh, rough voice.

• “Leave,” he grated.
• The captain grated out an order.
• She grated a reply through clenched teeth.

How to use it: grate out something (The guard grated out a warning.)

Similar words: rasp, growl

Common phrases: grate out something, grate a reply

To cover or protect an opening with metal bars.

• They decided to grate the window.
• Workers grated the cellar openings with iron bars.
• The doorway had been grated for security.

Similar words: bar

Common phrases: grate a window, grate an opening

A frame of metal bars covering an opening or holding wood or coal in a fireplace.

• A metal grate covered the hole.
• He placed more coal in the grate.
• The old fireplace had a heavy iron grate.

Similar words: grating, grid

Common phrases: iron grate, fireplace grate, drain grate

A flat metal grid that lets water, ash, or small things fall through while holding larger things.

• Water flowed through the grate.
• Leaves collected on the drain grate.
• The sheep would not cross the grate at the field entrance.

Similar words: grating, grid

Common phrases: floor grate, drain grate, metal grate