grate

About 1.02 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun A horizontal metal grill through which liquid, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot.

   The grate stopped the sheep from escaping from their field.

2. noun A frame or bed, or kind of basket, of iron bars, for holding fuel while burning.
3. noun A grapper, a metal ring on a lance behind the grip.
4. verb To furnish with grates; to protect with a grating or crossbars.

   to grate a window

5. verb To shred (things, usually foodstuffs), by rubbing across a grater.

   I need to grate the cheese before the potato is cooked.

6. verb To make an unpleasant rasping sound, often as the result of rubbing against something.

   Listening to his teeth grate all day long drives me mad.

7. verb To get on one's nerves; to irritate, annoy.

   She’s nice enough, but she can begin to grate if there is no-one else to talk to.

8. verb To annoy.

Similar words

grind eat into fret scrape rankle grill fireplace grille rasp louver

Often followed by

and area the on in of surface is bars

Word family

grated grater graters grates grating gratingly