grate
[verb]
Synonyms:
- shred, mince, pulverize, triturate
- scrape, creak, grind, rasp, rub, scratch
- annoy, exasperate, get on one's nerves (informal), irritate, jar, rankle, set one's teeth on edge

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Related Words: abrade, bark, chafe, fray, gall, scuff, skin

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English Thesaurus: beat, defeat, trounce, thrash, wipe the floor with somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. grate¹ /ɡreɪt/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: crata, grata 'something made of woven sticks', from Latin cratis; ⇒ crate¹]
the metal bars and frame that hold the wood, coal etc in a fireplace

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. grate² verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: grater 'to make marks in a surface']

1. [transitive] to rub cheese, vegetables etc against a rough or sharp surface in order to break them into small pieces:
grated cheese
Peel and grate the potatoes.

2. [transitive] written to talk in a low rough voice ⇒ hiss:
‘Let me go,’ he grated harshly.

3. [intransitive] to annoy someone
grate on
Mr Fen had a loud voice that grated on her ears.

4. [intransitive and transitive] to make an unpleasant sound by rubbing, or to make something do this:
The stones beneath her shoes grated harshly.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

grate
verb
I. rub sth into small pieces
ADV. coarsely | finely Sprinkle the top of the dish with some finely grated cheese.
PHRASES freshly grated a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

grate
II. make a sharp unpleasant sound
ADV. harshly
PREP. against The steel of the helmet grated against the door.
on The grit beneath her soles grated harshly on the wooden deck.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English:
We should have beaten them easily.
I always beat my brother at tennis.
defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing:
England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.
Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game:
They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game:
Of course, they totally creamed the other team.
I hope we thrash them!
wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument:
She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.
They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.
decoration noun [countable usually plural] something pretty that you put in a place or onto something to make it look attractive, especially for special occasions:
Half a dozen girls volunteered to put up decorations for the dance.
We're making our own Christmas decorations this year.
You could use the ribbon as a decoration.
ornament [countable] a small pretty object that is used in a room or house to make it look more attractive:
The shelves were crammed with ornaments and souvenirs.
a glass ornament
knick-knacks [plural] small inexpensive objects used to decorate a room:
The shop sold cheap knick-knacks for tourists.
She had dusted all the ornaments and knick-knacks.
garnish [countable] a small amount of food that is used to make a dish look nice or add taste to it:
Serve the fish with a garnish of lemon.
frills [plural] a decoration on the edge of a piece of cloth that is made of many small folds in the cloth:
a white blouse with frills at the cuffs
embellishment [uncountable and countable] formal something that is added in order to make another thing seem more attractive:
the colourful embellishments on a medieval manuscript
His style is simple and without embellishment.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.
make cuts
The country needs to make cuts in the carbon dioxide it produces.
announce cuts
A major engineering company has announced big job cuts.
take/accept cuts (=agree to have something reduced)
Some employees were forced to take pay cuts.
tax cuts
The President announced tax cuts.
pay/wage cuts
Millions of workers face pay cuts.
job/staff cuts
There have been falling sales and job cuts at the newspaper.
spending cuts
His proposals could involve spending cuts of up to £12 billion.
price cuts
The company announced big price cuts on all its computers.
defence cuts
Further proposals for defence cuts were drawn up.
deep/severe cuts (=big reductions)
Deep cuts were made in research spending.
drastic/sharp cuts (=big and sudden reductions)
He resigned over drastic cuts in the education budget.
have a cut on something
He had a cut on his forehead.
get a cut (on something)
I fell and got a bad cut on my head.
small/slight
It’s only a small cut.
minor
Two passengers had to be treated for minor cuts.
superficial (=not deep)
I’m fine - just a few superficial cuts.
bad/nasty (=wide or deep and bleeding a lot)
The cut looked quite bad.
How did you get that nasty cut?
deep
She fell and got a deep cut on her leg.
cuts and bruises (=cuts and dark marks on the skin)
He escaped the crash with just a few cuts and bruises.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style:
The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order:
The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part:
Could I have another piece of cake?
a piece of broken glass
Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces:
The notes were written on bits of paper.
He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape:
two lumps of sugar
a lump of coal
a lump of clay
scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed:
I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper.
The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc:
a strip of cloth
The leather had been cut into strips.
sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal:
a blank sheet of paper
a sheet of aluminium
slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece:
a slice of pizza
Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal:
The fruit was cut into large chunks.
a chunk of bread
hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc:
a big hunk of cheese
hunks of concrete
block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides:
concrete blocks
a block of cheese
a block of ice
slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc:
The floor had been made from stone slabs.
a slab of beef
cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food:
a cube of sugar
ice cubes
wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a triangle – used especially about food and metal:
a wedge of cheese
bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides:
a chocolate bar
a bar of soap
gold bars worth more than £26 million
rasher British English a slice of bacon:
I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.
cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲