to grate
8
4.3
- verb
- /ɡreɪt/
:
raspar
- Thaddeus snaps the reins and the wheels grate over the road.
- a grating voice
- a grating sound
- a grating shriek
Examples
-
"Most of them hunt during the day," he said in his high, grating voice.
Fiction book (1992) -
The bells on their ankles and wrists jingled, grating on his nerves.
Fiction book (1998) -
When we shut the iron door of the vault, it made a sharp, grating sound.
Fiction book (2001) -
The engine made a loud, grating noise as if it might explode.
Fiction book (2000) -
The low, steady rumbling which I'd heard upstairs became the loud, grating clang of metal on metal.
Fiction book (1993) -
The magpie gave a grating squawk and swaggered down to take the squirrel's place.
Fiction book (2001) -
As she prepared the salad, she had to grate the cheese into fine shreds.
-
The sound of the metal chair dragging on the floor began to grate on my nerves.
-
When the teacher raised his voice, his tone started to grate on the students' ears.
Synonyms
62
1.2
To rub material off a surface with something hard or sharp
33
4.8
To make a harsh, grating sound by rubbing two things together
12
3.6
To damage a surface by scraping it with something
5
8.1
The surface wears away when something rubs or scrapes it
1
6.7
Wear away skin or material by rubbing
1
3.5
Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it
To make a harsh scraping sound by rubbing against a surface
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb grate meaning to make a harsh, scraping sound comes from an old word for 'to scrape', so it describes rubbing two things together to make a rough noise. That's why a chair leg or teeth can 'grate' and make people cringe.