rap
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to strike, especially with a quick, smart, or light blow.
He rapped the door with his cane.
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to utter sharply or vigorously.
to rap out a command.
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(of a spirit summoned by a medium) to communicate (a message) by raps (often followed byout ).
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Slang. to criticize sharply.
Critics could hardly wait to rap the play.
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Slang. to arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime.
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Metallurgy. to jar (a pattern) loose from a sand mold.
verb (used without object)
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to knock smartly or lightly, especially so as to make a noise.
to rap on a door.
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Slang. to talk or discuss, especially freely, openly, or volubly; chat.
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Slang. to talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music.
noun
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a quick, smart, or light blow.
a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.
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the sound produced by such a blow.
They heard a loud rap at the door.
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Slang. blame or punishment, especially for a crime.
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Slang. a criminal charge.
a murder rap.
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Slang. response, reception, or judgment.
The product has been getting a very bad rap.
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Slang.
idioms
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take the rap, to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another.
He took the rap for the burglary.
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beat the rap, to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted.
The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.
verb (used with object)
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to carry off; transport.
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to transport with rapture.
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to seize for oneself; snatch.
verb
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to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock
he rapped at the door
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(intr) to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking
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(tr) to rebuke or criticize sharply
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to put (forth) in sharp rapid speech; utter in an abrupt fashion
to rap out orders
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slang (intr) to talk, esp volubly
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(intr) to perform a rhythmic monologue with a musical backing
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to reprimand
noun
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a sharp quick blow or the sound produced by such a blow
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a sharp rebuke or criticism
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slang voluble talk; chatter
stop your rap
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a fast, rhythmic monologue over a prerecorded instrumental track
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( as modifier )
rap music
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slang a legal charge or case
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slang to escape punishment or be acquitted of a crime
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slang to suffer the consequences of a mistake, misdeed, or crime, whether guilty or not
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- rapping noun
Etymology
Origin of rap1
First recorded in 1300–50; 1960–65 rap 1 for def. 8; Middle English verb rappen; akin to Swedish rappa “to beat, drub,” German rappeln “to rattle”; the senses “to talk” and “conversation, talk” are perhaps of distinct origin, though the hypothesis that these meanings are a shortening of repartee is questionable
Origin of rap2
First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain
Origin of rap3
First recorded in 1520–30; back formation from rapt
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Los Angeles, the department’s airships are an often inescapable part of the city’s landscape, immortalized in both rap songs and Hollywood blockbusters.
From Los Angeles Times
Like last night, and every night of the past week, they found nothing that might make a strange rapping sound.
From Literature
“I think it got a bad rap because pilots never scaled and operationalized to value,” she said.
Oasis’ nomination arrives in the wake of the British band’s hugely successful reunion tour, while the nod for the Wu-Tang Clan follows what the rap group called a farewell tour.
From Los Angeles Times
His minister father loathed rap, yet Jean teasingly and earnestly called himself “the preacher’s son,” filling his verses with biblical language that still shows up in “Quantum Leap.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
