grate
/ɡɹeɪt/ · grate
noun
- A horizontal metal grill through which water, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot. The garden grate kept the leaves from clogging the drainage pipe.
- A frame or bed, often of iron bars, used for holding fuel while it burns. He placed the coal on the grate of the fireplace.
verb
- To furnish with grates; to protect with a grating or crossbars. They grated the old window to keep out intruders.
- To rub or scrape food against a grater, reducing it to small shreds or particles. She grated the cheese over the hot pasta.
Did you know? Shakespeare used ‘grate’ in the sense of ‘to irritate’ in The Merry Wives of Windsor, showing the word’s long‑standing figurative use.