Grater

/ˈɡreɪtər/

Meaning & Definition

noun
A kitchen utensil with a rough, serrated surface used for shredding food such as cheese and vegetables.
I used a box grater to shred the carrots for the salad.
A device or tool used for roughening or scraping a surface.
The carpenter used a grater to smooth out the edges of the wood.
A person or thing that grades or evaluates something.
The teacher acted as a grater, assessing the students' papers for marks.

Etymology

From Middle English 'grater', stemming from Old French 'grater', derived from Latin 'gratare', meaning 'to scrape'.

Common Phrases and Expressions

grate on someone's nerves
To irritate or annoy someone.
gratefully receive
To accept something with thanks.
grate cheese
To process cheese into smaller pieces using a grater.

Related Words

shred
To cut or tear into small pieces.
zest
The outer colored part of a citrus fruit's peel, often used for flavoring.
shredding
The action of tearing or cutting into strips or shreds.

Slang Meanings

To annoy or irritate someone.
Stop your whining, it's really grating on my nerves.
To have a harsh sound, like scratching.
The noise from the construction was grating.