Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense raps, present participle rapping, past tense, past participle rapped
1. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Rap is a type of music in which the words are not sung but are spoken in a rapid, rhythmic way.
For some people, rap–the music of the hip-hop generation–is just so much noise.
...a rap group.
2. verb
Someone who raps performs rap music.
...the unexpected pleasure of hearing the band not only rap but even sing. [VERB]
3. countable noun
A rap is a piece of music performed in rap style, or the words that are used in it.
Every member contributes to the rap, singing either solo or as part of a rap chorus.
4. verb
If you rapon something or rap it, you hit it with a series of quick blows.
Mary Ann turned and rapped on Simon's door. [VERB + on]
...rapping the glass with the knuckles of his right hand. [VERB noun]
A guard raps his stick on a metal hand rail. [VERB noun + on]
Synonyms: hit, strike, knock, crack [informal] More Synonyms of rap
Rap is also a noun.
There was a sharp rap on the door. [+ on]
5. countable noun
A rap is a statement in a court of law that someone has committed a particular crime, or the punishment for committing it.
[US, informal]
You'll be facing a rap for aiding and abetting an escaped convict.
Synonyms: rebuke, sentence, blame, responsibility More Synonyms of rap
6. countable noun [usually singular]
A rap is an act of criticizing or blaming someone.
[journalism]
FA chiefs could still face a rap and a possible fine.
Timeshare companies also come in for a rap as they continue to flout the rules.
7. verb
If you rap someone for something, you criticize or blame them for it.
[journalism]
Water industry chiefs were rapped yesterday for failing their customers. [beV-ed + for/over]
The minister rapped banks over their treatment of small businesses. [V n for/over n]
Synonyms: reprimand, knock [informal], blast, pan [informal] More Synonyms of rap
8. singular noun
Therap about someone or something is their reputation, often a bad reputation which they do not deserve.
[US, informal]
The rap against Conn was that he was far too reckless.
The rap on this guy is that he doesn't really care. [+ on]
He said statisticians gave them a bad rap by 'lying with figures'.
Synonyms: talk More Synonyms of rap
9. verb
If you rapwith someone about something, you talk about it in a relaxed or informal way.
[US, informal]
Today we are going to rap about relationships. [Vabout n]
[Also Vwith n]
Synonyms: talk, chat, discourse, converse More Synonyms of rap
10.
See rap sb's knuckles, rap sb on/over the knuckles
11.
See a rap on the knuckles
12.
See take the rap
13.
See beat the rap
Phrasal verbs:
See rap out
More Synonyms of rap
rap in British English1
(ræp)
verbWord forms: raps, rapping or rapped
1.
to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock
he rapped at the door
2. (intransitive)
to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking
3. (transitive)
to rebuke or criticize sharply
4. (transitive; foll byout)
to put (forth) in sharp rapid speech; utter in an abrupt fashion
to rap out orders
5. (intransitive) slang
to talk, esp volubly
6. (intransitive)
to perform a rhythmic monologue with a musical backing
7. rap over the knuckles
noun
8.
a sharp quick blow or the sound produced by such a blow
9.
a sharp rebuke or criticism
10. slang
voluble talk; chatter
stop your rap
11.
a.
a fast, rhythmic monologue over a prerecorded instrumental track
b.
(as modifier)
rap music
12. slang
a legal charge or case
13. beat the rap
14. take the rap
Derived forms
rapping (ˈrapping)
noun
Word origin
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish rappa to beat
rap in British English2
(ræp)
noun
(used with a negative)
the least amount (esp in the phrase not to care a rap)
Word origin
C18: probably from ropaire counterfeit coin formerly current in Ireland
rap in British English3
(ræp)
verb, nounWord forms: raps, rapping or rapped
Australian informal a variant spelling of wrap (sense 8), wrap (sense 14)
rap in American English1
(ræp)
verb transitiveWord forms: rapped or ˈrapping
1.
to strike quickly and sharply; tap
2. US, Slang
to criticize sharply
verb intransitive
3.
to knock quickly and sharply
4. US
to perform rap or a rap
5. US, Slang
to talk; chat
6. US, Slang
to talk seriously and frankly with another or others, often in an informal setting
noun
7.
a quick, sharp knock; tap
8. US, Slang
blame or punishment, as a prison sentence
usually in beat (or take) the rap, escape (or receive) the blame or punishment, or bum rap, unfair blame or punishment
9. US, Slang
a talking; chat
10. US, Slang
a serious, frank talk
11. US
a.
a kind of popular music in which rhymed verses are chanted or declaimed to the accompaniment of forceful and repetitive rhythms, played usually on drums or synthesizers
: also rap music
b.
a rap song or recording
Idioms:
rap on the knuckles
rap out
Word origin
ME rappen, prob. of echoic orig.
rap in American English2
(ræp)
noun
1.
in the early 18th cent., a counterfeit halfpenny in circulation in Ireland
2. Informal
the least bit
now usually in not care (or give) a rap, not care anything at all
rap in American English3
(ræp)
verb transitiveWord forms: rapped or rapt, ˈrapping Rare
1.
to seize
2.
to transport with rapture
now only in the pp.
Word origin
back-form. < rapt
More idioms containing
rap
rap someone on the knuckles
take the rap
Examples of 'rap' in a sentence
rap
He has also turned to rapping.
The Sun (2016)
I think he wanted her to watch him do the murder so she would have to take the rap as well.
The Sun (2016)
I've shown my potential not only as a rap artist but also as a writer.
The Sun (2016)
A source said:'It is outrageous the chiefs get away with it as those lower down the ranks take the rap.
The Sun (2016)
They understand concepts better by rapping about them.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Over the last few years certain rap groups made headline news with their recordings.
Goshgarian, Gary Exploring language (6th edn) (1995)
So why do pushy mums get a bad rap?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We were disturbed by a harsh rap on the door.
John Cornwell Seminary Boy (2006)
What is it about your rap style that makes you stand out from the rest?
The Sun (2008)
He faces a burglary rap next week.
The Sun (2007)
An earlier robbery rap was also dropped.
The Sun (2011)
Yet most of us give our bodies a bad rap.
Sally Gunnell, Kathryn Leigh BE YOUR BEST: How Anyone can become Fit, Healthy and Confident (2002)
They begin listening to rock or rap music and spending more time alone and with their friends.
Larson, Reed & Richards, Maryse H. Divergent Realities: the Emotional Lives of Mothers, Fathers, and Adolescents (1994)
Around a quarter admit asking friends or relatives to take the rap.
The Sun (2008)
The volume they get from this sharp rapping of beak against tree is astonishing.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
An already fractious situation then takes a turn for the worse when they hear a rapping at the door.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Dinosaurs always get a bad rap.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You don't have to be a rap artist to pull off leather joggers.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Of course gangsta rap isn't the only reason for the riots.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The writers have dispensed entirely with the usual gangster clichés of rap and hip-hop.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
I wanted to be a rap artist.
The Sun (2015)
Teenage drivers who listen to their favourite rap track behind the wheel are more likely to crash, a study shows.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I do it to really loud rap music, which makes me happy.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Caravan rap BLACKPOOL have fined four unnamed players for wrecking a caravan after a night out.
The Sun (2008)
By the mid-1970s, hundreds of informal rap groups had been organized.
Herman, Judith Lewis Trauma and Recovery (1992)
In other languages
rap
British English: rap NOUN
Rap is a type of music in which the words are not sung but are spoken in a rapid, rhythmic way.
He performs with a rap group.
American English: rap
Brazilian Portuguese: rap
Chinese: 说唱音乐
European Spanish: rap
French: rap
German: Rap
Italian: rap
Japanese: ラップ
Korean: 랩
European Portuguese: rap
Latin American Spanish: rap
British English: rap VERB
music Someone who raps performs rap music.
...the unexpected pleasure of hearing the kids not only rap but even sing.
American English: rap
Brazilian Portuguese: cantar rap
Chinese: 唱说唱音乐
European Spanish: rapear
French: raper
German: rappen
Italian: fare rap
Japanese: ラップを歌う
Korean: 랩을 하다
European Portuguese: cantar rap
Latin American Spanish: rapear
British English: rap VERB
hit If you rap on something or rap it, you hit it with a series of quick blows.
She turned and rapped on his door.
American English: rap
Brazilian Portuguese: bater repetidamente
Chinese: 急速敲打
European Spanish: dar golpes
French: frapper
German: klopfen
Italian: picchiare
Japanese: トントン叩く
Korean: 연속해서 두드리다
European Portuguese: bater repetidamente
Latin American Spanish: dar golpes
All related terms of 'rap'
bad rap
slang See bum rap
bum rap
a trumped-up or false charge
rap out
If you rap out an order or a question, you say it quickly and sharply.
rip-rap
broken stones loosely deposited in water or on a soft bottom to provide a foundation and protect a riverbed or river banks from scour : used for revetments , embankments , breakwaters , etc
rap music
to strike (a fist , stick , etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow ; knock
rap sheet
a police record of an individual's criminal history
a bum rap
If you say that someone has gotten a bum rap , you mean that they have been treated unfairly or punished unfairly.
gangsta rap
a style of rap music, usually characterized by lyrics about Black street gangs in the US, often with violent , nihilistic, and misogynistic themes
rap artist
a rapper ; a person who performs rap
rap jumping
the sport of descending high buildings, attached to ropes and a pulley
rap session
an informal conversation or discussion
gangster rap
a style of rap music, usually characterized by lyrics about Black street gangs in the US, often with violent , nihilistic, and misogynistic themes
beat the rap
If you beat the rap , you avoid being blamed for something wrong that you have done.
take the rap
If you take the rap , you are blamed or punished for something, especially something that is not your fault or for which other people are equally guilty.
gangsta
Gangsta or gangsta rap is a form of rap music in which the words often refer to crime and violence .
rap on the knuckles
a mild reprimand or light sentence
rap over the knuckles
to reprimand
rap someone on the knuckles
to criticize or blame someone for doing something that you consider to be wrong
a rap on the knuckles a rap over the knuckles
If someone in authority gives you a rap on the knuckles , they criticize you or blame you for doing something they think is wrong .
rap sb's knuckles, rap sb on/over the knuckles
If someone in authority raps your knuckles or raps you on the knuckles , they criticize you or blame you for doing something they think is wrong .