Meaning & use
grates
Last updated
Irritates or annoys, especially through constant repetition, or shreds food into small pieces using a grater.
See it in a sentence
The way he chews with his mouth open really grates on me.
She grates the cheese fresh instead of buying it pre-shredded.
A note on using this word
The irritation sense is almost always used with "on," as in "grates on someone's nerves"; the cooking sense is unrelated but equally common.
Words with a similar meaning
irritatesannoys
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
soothes
Another way to use it
2. verb
Makes a harsh grinding sound by rubbing together.
The old gate grates loudly whenever someone opens it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grates”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.