1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

grate

verb

Definition of gratenext
1
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts unintentionally or not, you say rude things that grate people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sled grated along the bare pavement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to grit
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound he grated the pieces of metal together

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grate In Japanese cuisine, ginger is grated, shredded, or pickled and often served thinly sliced with sushi. — Carole Kotkin, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 That are, again, all spoken at the same time, in a manner that could grate the nerves coming from the hands of any other filmmaker, but Herzog is entirely sincere and irony-free in his handling. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026 Hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and gouda, however, are better suited for freezing and can be grated and stored for later use. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grate
  1. annoy
  2. scratch
  3. grit
  4. bother
  5. scrape
  6. irritate
  7. rub
  8. bug
Verb
  • The rare curtain call on the road continued an outpouring of support from Mets fans for Alonso over the past two nights — and apparently annoyed at least one of his former teammates.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In fact, one of our contributors delved into the minds of flight attendants to compile a list of what passengers do that annoy flight attendants, and ever since, I’ve been dedicated to finding solutions for these easily avoidable flying faux pas.
    — Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoy
Verb
  • This characteristic can provide significant resistance to scratching and wear in demanding environments.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In the Dominican Republic, acts like Truño and Los Rialengos scratch the itch for fans, while others like Poolpo and Grunjeo offer pop-punk and grunge alternatives.
    — Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • But credit Skubal for gritting it out each time, keeping the Dodgers in those three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals and Brewers.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of grit
Verb
  • Tanner Faaborg said he was also bothered by the reshaping of rural Iowa by industrial animal agriculture.
    — Rachel Cramer, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Before turning it into a judgment about your abilities, notice what specifically bothered you.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Radiological scans also confirmed lesions on the dog’s right shoulder, and Cotelo recommended an operation to scrape the excess cartilage, Shin said.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On a map, Newfoundland is a vast, asymmetrical island, cloven by bays and inlets, semi-detached to appendages of land deformed by ancient glaciers scraping over it, leaving glacial striations, grooves and gouges on its granite face.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • Its sap may also irritate the skin, and cutting or mowing the plant may create additional exposure risks.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The textured surface made whisking things like custard or béchamel irritating as the whisk repeatedly snagged on the textured surface.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • As far as technique, pressing is gentler on dry skin than rubbing or dragging.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Among other things, Noohu accused showrunner Ed Brubaker of rubbing his back and of making comments about running his hands through Noohu’s hair.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of rub
Verb
  • As a Bears fan, McDermott doesn’t want to disrupt the team and bug McCaskey or Warren too much.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Irwin is uncertain if the second infestation of bed bugs last weekend were ones that weren’t caught the first time, or if a person brought new bed bugs in.
    — Susan Bromley, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bug

Browse Nearby Words

grass (on)
grate
G-rated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grate. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on grate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All