verb

grate

to shred, to rub noisily, to irritate

Could you grate the cheese for the pasta?

Could you grate the cheese for the pasta?

The rusty gate grated on its hinges.

The rusty gate grated on its hinges.

His constant complaining is starting to grate on me.

His constant complaining is starting to grate on me.

((sth.)) to shred (sth.) Could you grate the cheese for the pasta?

((on sb.)) to irritate (sb.) His constant complaining is starting to grate on me.

Synonyms: shred, scrape, irritate, annoy

From Old French 'grater' (to scrape), from a Germanic source related to German 'kratzen' (to scratch).

Imagine the grating sound of a cheese grater, which can also 'grate' on your nerves.

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