Home / Dictionary / Rap

Rap Very Common

Rap has 18 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

a reproach for some lapse or misdeed

"he took the blame for it"

"it was a bum rap"

2

a gentle blow

"The coach gave the player's shoulder a quick rap to get his attention without yelling."

3

the sound made by a gentle blow

"The rap of the rain against the windowpane kept me awake all night."

4

voluble conversation

"The two friends engaged in a lively rap about their weekend plans while waiting for the bus."

rap
5

genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment; several forms of rap have emerged

"After discovering that my favorite artist from the golden age of hip-hop was actually born in Queens, I decided to dive deeper into the history of rap."

6

the act of hitting vigorously

"he gave the table a whack"

7

A sharp blow with something hard.

"The radar operator confirmed our position by matching the incoming signal to the known rap on his scope."

8

A lay or skein containing 120 yards of yarn.

9

Any of the tokens that passed current for a halfpenny in Ireland in the early part of the eighteenth century; any coin of trifling value.

10

Acronym of record of arrest and prosecution.

11

recognized air picture

In plain English: Rap is a style of music where someone speaks rhythmically over a beat.

"The police officer asked for a rap on the door before entering."

Verb
1

strike sharply

"rap him on the knuckles"

2

make light, repeated taps on a surface

"he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently"

3

perform rap music

"After hours of practicing his flow, he finally stepped up to the microphone to rap at the local open mic night."

rap
4

talk volubly

"At the family reunion, Uncle Joe started to rap on about his new business venture for twenty minutes straight without letting anyone else speak."

rap
5

To strike something sharply with one's knuckles; knock.

"The thief managed to rap a diamond necklace from the sleeping guard's neck before fleeing into the night."

6

To seize and carry off.

In plain English: To rap means to speak rhythmically and forcefully, usually while moving your head or body to the beat of music.

"The security guard quickly rapped on the door to check if anyone was home."

Usage: Use this verb to describe striking an object, such as a table or doorframe, quickly and hard with the back of your hand rather than using a fist. It is often confused with "knock," but rap implies a sharper, more forceful motion typically made by knuckles instead of fingers.

Proper Noun
1

The Rapaport Diamond Report, the diamond industry standard for the pricing of diamonds.

"The buyer hesitated to make an offer until she could check the latest rap from the Rapaport Diamond Report to ensure they were getting a fair price."

Example Sentences
"The police officer asked for a rap on the door before entering." noun
"The security guard quickly rapped on the door to check if anyone was home." verb
"She decided to rap her knuckles against the table to get everyone's attention." verb
"The child tried to rap his spoon on the bowl while waiting for dinner." verb
"He couldn't stop rapping out rhythms with his fingers until he heard a song." verb
See Also
music hip hop hip hop black type black music genre
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
reproach blow sound conversation popular music black music strike perform talk
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
pitter-patter knock

Origin

The word "rap" comes from Middle English and North Germanic languages like Norwegian and Swedish, where it originally meant a blow or strike. It entered modern usage to describe the sound of hitting something or an act of verbal aggression derived from that same physical sense.

Rhyming Words
mrap trap wrap crap drap frap grap strap thrap scrap shrap upwrap satrap reprap affrap s trap riprap enwrap inwrap courap
Compare
Rap vs