verb

grate

GRAYT/ɡrˈeɪt/

To scrape something repeatedly against a rough surface.

The cook grates a carrot, collecting orange shreds beneath the grater.

Cook rubs a carrot against box grater, visible orange shreds collect below, fingers clear of sharp surface.

Etymology

Old French grater meant “to scrape or scratch.” Grating food applies that same action repeatedly, scraping off small pieces against a rough surface.

In context

Natashas Kitchen0:54

Now we're gonna grate the potatoes and the onions. You can either use the large holes on your box grater or use the grater attachment on a food processor.

The Secret to Perfect Golden Potato Latkes Every Time

More examples

Grate two carrots into the bowl for the salad.
He stirred freshly grated ginger into the sauce.
I'm grating lemon peel to flavor the cake.

Forms

grate · grates · grated · grating

grater noun — Tool with sharp holes for shredding food.

Similar words

shred: Makes narrow strips, often by cutting rather than rubbing.
scrape: Removes surface material without necessarily making small, even pieces.