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

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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 Finely grate zest from 1 lemon over, then cut lemon into wedges. — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026 An itinerant curate with a grating personality, Gerard moved the family around frequently. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026 Athletes do miss a lot of classes, which grates on professors. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026 Made out of stainless steel, the grater effortlessly zests citrus, shreds hard cheeses, and grates fresh spices. — Mariette Williams, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 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
  • Studio executives who annoyed her might find their films receiving tepid coverage.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Biden administration also had a commitment to AI safety that annoyed AI companies.
    — Nina Verdelli, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoy
Verb
  • For those who want to scratch an itch for golden age musical nostalgia, this sparkling yet empty production might suffice.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Two days later, my husband found the frame of my wheelchair dropped off on our doorstep, scratches across the front, two parts dangling.
    — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • And those options extend well beyond a binary choice between taking an opioid and gritting your teeth.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Russian drivers grit their teeth, endure the lines, and hope that government promises that the shortages will ease after the agricultural harvest season – a time of peak demand – are fulfilled.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of grit
Verb
  • In fact, the movie doesn’t even bother revealing Fang’s ultimate fate; but then again, he’s been fully vindicated in the court of public opinion, so who cares?
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Nothing shows the world that the outside noise doesn’t bother you quite like preparing a statement ahead of time about how much the outside noise doesn’t bother you.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • By 2022 — four years after the contract had expired — Olsen was ailing and DeFalco was trying to scrape together money to pay for Olsen’s caregiver.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The company says the update is not about scraping news sites.
    — Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • Notably, the landfill operator’s air quality monitors had repeatedly reported high levels of lung-irritating hydrogen sulfide in 2023 and 2024.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The ingredient releases gradually overnight to restore elasticity, even out the skin tone, and minimize the appearance of wrinkles without irritating the skin.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • The discovery was made Wednesday in the Hickory Ridge area of east Charlotte, and responding officers report a man drenched in sweat tried to rub them down with garlic and bite them, according to an affidavit.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
  • True, but there are other issues that rubbed me the wrong way (sorry).
    — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of rub
Verb
  • The Department of Justice’s prosecution of a Saudi national for allegedly bugging an OpenAI conference room is causing anxiety among OpenAI employees, many of whom are foreign nationals.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of bug

Browse Nearby Words

grass (on)
grate
G-rated
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Cite this Entry

“Grate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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