GRATE Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

grate

verb

Definition of grate

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to scratch

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sled grated along the bare pavement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 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 The names are similar, the cheeses look nearly identical, and both are commonly grated over pasta, salads, soups, and more. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2026 The outer layer holds concentrated citrus oils and flavor; it is commonly grated and the resulting citrus zest added to baked goods, dressings, or cocktails. — Bridget Shirvell, Martha Stewart, 13 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grate

Verb

And now Snider found himself here, under a bright, blue sky, annoyed as a fireman examined the staples on the side of his head.

— Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
What annoys me is that this whole thing is called Roaring 20th, so why was there not a flapper and Great Gatsby theme?

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of annoy

Verb

The bear even takes time to exfoliate, using what appears to be a concrete barrier to scratch its back.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Atlanta scratched across three runs against a shaky Blake Snell and a parade of Dodgers relievers, while Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes, among others, held the powerful LA lineup to just two.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of scratch

Verb

Red flag The Dodgers still don’t know what to reasonably expect from Ohtani, gritting out the postseason despite discomfort in his left knee and right arm.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of grit

Verb

Palo Alto Networks did that after buying [Israeli startup] CyberArk, but why would most companies bother?

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
That woman was truly unbothered, a term tossed around online, but the literal act of not being bothered is impossible for most people beyond the quirkiest, like my onetime neighbor, or maybe Fran Lebowitz.

— Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of bother

Verb

Pamir, which uses machine learning to scrape, parse and categorize vast amounts of unstructured video, image and social media data for its SaaS database, offers another tool.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek.

— Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrape

Verb

Tactics such as ragebait have only added to the fatigue, irritating enthusiasts already frustrated by the relentless churn of slop.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
Patients may be advised to use gentle, fragrance-free products, keep the area moisturized, and avoid anything that further irritates the skin.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritate

Verb

Some of these practices have been reported on before, such as rubbing deodorant against colored pages from magazines to make eye shadow.

— Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
The story takes place around the Club Rumba Royale, where white Europeans and Congolese citizens rub shoulders, and where the captivating melodies of rumba merge with aspirations and fiery debates of independence.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of rub

Verb

And as the team moved into the couple’s guest house on their San Diego rental property, the filmmakers feared that the home was bugged and ordered a device to try to de-bug it, without success.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of bug

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grass (on)

grate

G-rated

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Grate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grate. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grate

verb

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