rap on the door

Meanings

1. 1phrasecountable

   A quick, sharp knock on a door.

   Grammar: Countable: 'a rap on the door', 'two raps on the door'.

   Patterns

   • a rap on the door
   • raps on the door

   I heard a rap on the door and went to open it.

   There was a sharp rap on the door, then silence.

   She gave a quick rap on the door before entering.

2. 2phraseintransitive

   To knock quickly and sharply on a door.

   Grammar: Used as a verb phrase: 'He rapped on the door.'

   Patterns

   • rap on the door
   • rap at the door

   He rapped on the door and waited for an answer.

   She rapped on the door to get their attention.

   Someone rapped on the door loudly.

Common combinations

a sharp rap

A sharp rap on the door made her look up.

rap at the door

He gave a rap at the door and walked in.

quick rap

She gave a quick rap on the door and left.

Synonyms and how they differ

knock

More general; a knock can be any sound, while a rap is quick and sharp.

tap

Lighter and softer than a rap.

Word family

rap verb

To knock quickly and sharply.

rapping noun

The sound of quick, sharp knocks.

Commonly confused: rap on the door or wrap?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “rap on the door”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words