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 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

Verb

Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of annoy

Verb

Test the plant’s health by lightly scratching the woody stems—healthy tissue beneath the bark will typically look green.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of scratch

Verb

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
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

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

Here’s a guy who scraped his dollars together, came to the club, and out of all the people there, he gets pulled on stage by Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

— Christine Imarenezor, VIBE.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Personal information gets exposed through breaches, scraped from public sources and traded in criminal marketplaces.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrape

Verb

Separating small equipment, personal accessories, and emergency supplies can also help reduce clutter and prevent belongings from rubbing against one another.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Just before dusk, four or five does walked under the tree, and then a four-point buck followed, stopping beneath me to rub his antlers on a bush.

— Al Dawson, Outdoor Life, 15 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
He’s bugged Jay — the two met online and married two years ago before opening their first restaurant last year — to make sure that includes his crispy duck panang curry.

— Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of bug

Browse Nearby Words

grass (on)

grate

G-rated

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Style

“Grate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grate. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grate

verb

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