Meaning of rap in English

Table of contents

Verb
rap
Etymology
Middle English (originally in the senses ‘severe blow with a weapon’ and ‘deliver a heavy blow’): probably imitative and of Scandinavian origin; compare with Swedish rappa‘beat, drub’, also with clap and flap
Definitions
1. strike sharply
Examples
- « rap him on the knuckles »
Derived terms
- belt
- knock
- strike
- tap
- whack
- whang
2. make light, repeated taps on a surface
Examples
- « he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently »
Derived terms
3. perform rap music
Derived terms
- hip-hop
- rap music
4. talk volubly
Noun
rap
Etymology
early 19th century: from Irish ropaire‘robber’; used as the name of a counterfeit coin in 18th-century Ireland
Definitions
1. a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
Examples
- « he took the blame for it »
- « it was a bum rap »
Derived terms
2. a gentle blow
Derived terms
3. the sound made by a gentle blow
Derived terms
- dab
- knock
- pat
- pink
- tap
- tip
4. voluble conversation
5. genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment
Examples
- « several forms of rap have emerged »
6. the act of hitting vigorously
Examples
- « he gave the table a whack »
Derived terms

Famous quotes

« I do think musical-theater actors can get a bad rap, and I see why. There is a certain slickness - there's nothing better than an amazing musical, but an okay musical can be one of the worst times you've ever had. »
Laura Benanti
« It would be pretty funny to see a Beverly Hills white girl with mad rap skills. »
Tori Spelling
« I used to be focused on being the dopest rapper in the game, and then once that became what I was, I wanted something different, and I wanted to become the best businessman in the game. I wanted to learn how to master the business like I mastered the rap. »
Snoop Dogg
« It's a joke to think that anyone is one thing. We're all such complex creatures. But if I'm going to be a poster child for anything, anger's a gorgeous emotion. It gets a bad rap, but it can make great changes happen. »
Alanis Morissette
« Personally, I just think rap music is the best thing out there, period. If you look at my deck in my car radio, you're always going to find a hip-hop tape that's all I buy, that's all I live, that's all I listen to, that's all I love. »
Eminem