1
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
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grate
Since pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents that can impede melting, our Test Kitchen recommends grating your own cheese from a block or wedge.
—
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
Finely grate the remaining 2 garlic cloves.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
But the unrelentingly positive energy, like the inflated compliment culture of Hollywood as a whole, begins to grate.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
And Chalamet never once came across as grating, obnoxious, or desperate.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grate
Verb
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She’d been awakened by their puppy, and had been annoyed at Ryan, who hadn’t gotten up early with the dog like he was supposed to.—
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Kelce was evaluated for a concussion in the locker room, and he was annoyed at having to answer the questions that are part of the test.—
Verb
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If large stuck-on food chunks remain, carefully scrape them off with a razor blade, being mindful not to scratch the stovetop.—
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Bright and spellbinding, glittering and dangerous, London Falling scratches every itch while unwinding this morbid mystery.—
Verb
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Grit gave weight to feeling; feeling gave purpose to grit.—
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Doechii continues to grit her teeth while declaring that the accolades she’s earned along the way were from hard work.—
Verb
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Take a seat on an icy throne—the cold never bothered you anyway.—
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Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.—
Verb
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Stokes, who seldom completes a five-Test series these days, had dragged his creaking, aching body through almost five full matches of hard, hot, energy-sapping cricket, like scraping butter over too much bread, but somehow soldiering on.—
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Restaurant staff scrape uneaten food from plates into a compost bin.—
Verb
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These changes to the fabric’s texture can also irritate delicate skin.—
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To ensure the materials were safe for biological use, the friction layers was tested on a rabbit’s eye, where the device maintained its charge without irritating.—
Verb
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The constant friction of material rubbing on material wears the clothing out faster, so when there is more time, as in a regular or deep clean cycle, the garment fibers can wear down faster.—
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The events occurred in and around the lawless border of Venezuela and Colombia, where spies, smugglers and gun runners rub shoulders and distrust their own shadow.—
Verb
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That thing’s been bugging on him for a while.—
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Check the head and base and foot of the bed, peeling back the top sheet to look for evidence on mattress covers, box springs, dust ruffles, and the headboard—and most importantly, the mattress seams and piping because bed bugs like to hide in cracks and crevices.—
Cite this Entry
“Grate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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