rap
1to strike, especially with a quick, smart, or light blow: He rapped the door with his cane.
to utter sharply or vigorously: to rap out a command.
(of a spirit summoned by a medium) to communicate (a message) by raps (often followed by out).
Slang. to criticize sharply: Critics could hardly wait to rap the play.
Slang. to arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime.
Metallurgy. to jar (a pattern) loose from a sand mold.
to knock smartly or lightly, especially so as to make a noise: to rap on a door.
Slang. to talk or discuss, especially freely, openly, or volubly; chat.
Slang. to talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music.
a quick, smart, or light blow: a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.
the sound produced by such a blow: They heard a loud rap at the door.
Slang. blame or punishment, especially for a crime.
Slang. a criminal charge: a murder rap.
Slang. response, reception, or judgment: The product has been getting a very bad rap.
Slang.
Idioms about rap
beat the rap, Slang. to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted: The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.
take the rap, Slang. to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another: He took the rap for the burglary.
Origin of rap
1Words that may be confused with rap
Words Nearby rap
Other definitions for rap (2 of 3)
Origin of rap
2Other definitions for rap (3 of 3)
to carry off; transport.
to transport with rapture.
to seize for oneself; snatch.
Origin of rap
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rap in a sentence
A marriage of the popular sound in rap with the romance Shakka himself wrote, this song is just in time for Valentine’s Day, and should be a proper introduction to this future king of the genre.
Soulection’s Joe Kay Presents ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Future Sounds’ | Brande Victorian | February 5, 2021 | Essence.comIn later video trailers, the animated characters are seen singing, rapping and dancing alongside the real-life beings.
Salt-N-Pepa, one of the top-selling music groups of all time and the first female rap group to go Platinum, helped define a generation.
Actresses GG Townson And Laila Odom On What It Took To Become Salt-N-Pepa | Brande Victorian | January 22, 2021 | Essence.comAn architect of the West Coast rap scene, his 1992 debut solo album, “The Chronic,” is considered one of the most important and influential albums of the era.
Dr. Dre says he’s ‘doing great’ at the hospital after suffering a reported brain aneurysm | Timothy Bella | January 6, 2021 | Washington PostIn recent years, the rap community has experienced this firsthand.
After the untimely deaths of young rappers, fans are determined to continue their legacy | Ilana Kaplan | December 4, 2020 | Washington Post
Pitchfork called him a “a rap-obsessed misfit from a summer camp who freestyles poorly” who is “ridiculous without knowing it.”
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ | Marlow Stern | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“Poor Steve Scalise is getting a bad rap,” Knight, a long-time aide to former KKK leader David Duke, told The Daily Beast.
And there are those who still have misgivings about exactly what “Christian rap” means.
Down With the King: Christianity Isn’t Hiding in Rap’s Closet | Stereo Williams | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Communist Party of China gets a bad rap for cracking down on religion.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma | Brendon Hong | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey joined forces to form the rap supergroup Run the Jewels.
The 10 Best Albums of 2014: Taylor Swift, Sia, Run the Jewels, and More | Marlow Stern | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was in the midst of his reflections when there came a rap at his door, which the next moment was flung open.
Confidence | Henry James"All they can rap and run for" is the more frequent colloquial version of this quaint phrase.
He gave to every syllable the value of a rap and certain words he terminated with an audible snap of his teeth.
Dope | Sax RohmerAnother rap, louder and more importunate, echoed through the large room.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieOld Adam wanted two thousand dollars, they say, if he could only get them; but he could not, not a rap.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
British Dictionary definitions for rap (1 of 3)
/ (ræp) /
to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock: he rapped at the door
(intr) to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking
(tr) to rebuke or criticize sharply
(tr foll by out) to put (forth) in sharp rapid speech; utter in an abrupt fashion: to rap out orders
(intr) slang to talk, esp volubly
(intr) to perform a rhythmic monologue with a musical backing
rap over the knuckles to reprimand
a sharp quick blow or the sound produced by such a blow
a sharp rebuke or criticism
slang voluble talk; chatter: stop your rap
a fast, rhythmic monologue over a prerecorded instrumental track
(as modifier): rap music
slang a legal charge or case
beat the rap US and Canadian slang to escape punishment or be acquitted of a crime
take the rap slang to suffer the consequences of a mistake, misdeed, or crime, whether guilty or not
Origin of rap
1Derived forms of rap
- rapping, noun
British Dictionary definitions for rap (2 of 3)
/ (ræp) /
(used with a negative) the least amount (esp in the phrase not to care a rap)
Origin of rap
2British Dictionary definitions for rap (3 of 3)
/ (ræp) /
Australian informal a variant spelling of wrap (def. 8), wrap (def. 14)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for rap
A form of pop music characterized by spoken or chanted rhymed lyrics, with a syncopated, repetitive accompaniment. Rap music originated in the second half of the twentieth century in black urban communities. (See also hip-hop.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with rap
In addition to the idiom beginning with rap
- rap someone's knuckles
also see:
- beat the rap
- bum rap
- not give a damn (rap)
- take the rap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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