rap

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Politicians, right-wing talking heads, talk show hosts, and lazy parents soon discovered that (read: scapegoated) video games, along with gangsta rap were the same satanic evils that comic books and rock 'n' roll were during the 50s and 60s.

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Definitions (58)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (20)

  1. transitive verb To hit sharply and swiftly; strike: rapped the table with his fist.
  2. transitive verb To utter sharply: rap out a complaint.
  3. transitive verb To criticize or blame.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (21)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (7)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (10)

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Examples (50)

  • Spencer, the rap is garbage, nothing like what you've been able to produce in the past, so let it slide. —  The Superficial - Because You're Ugly
  • He gets goofy at freeNIKES!, where he likes to talk basketball and rap, among other things. —  The House Next Door
  • They like to rap, and they like to get their music out there. —  Nation of Thizzlam
  • Wale can really rap, and it seems that he might have actually watched Seinfeld, which I can get down with. —  Nation of Thizzlam
  • It's classic Brooklyn smack you in your face rap, ala MOP, but with this air of self-consciousness you don't see in 99\% of rappers. —  4thletter!
 

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This word has been looked up 185 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

knock ·  tap ·  pop ·  jazz ·  thump ·  slap ·  click ·  bang ·  shake ·  hip-hop ·  beat ·  snap

Used in the same contextWord Family

rap:   rapping ·  rapped
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (10)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. Middle English rappen, possibly of imitative origin.
  2. Back-formation from rapt.
  3. From obsolete rap, 18th-century Irish counterfeit halfpenny, from Irish Gaelic, alteration (possibly influenced by rap, piece, bit) of ropaire, cutthroat; see rapparee.
  4. Possibly from rap1.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (6)

  1. from Middle English rappen, from Swedish rappa, strike, beat, rap; cf. rap, n. Cf. Middle High German freq. raffeln. G. rappeln, intransitive, rattle. Perhaps connected with rap.
  2. from Middle English rap, rappe = Swedish Norwegian rapp = Danish rap, a rap, tap, smart blow; cf. rap, v.
  3. from Middle English rappen, from Swedish rappa, snatch, seize, carry off, = MHG, German raffen, snatch; dial. (Low German) rappen, snatch up, take up (later ult. English raff). Cf. rape and rape. The pp, rapped, rapt, became confused with rapt, from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere, snatch, which is not connected with the Teutonic word: see rapt, rapt.
  4. Also rape; prob. due in part to rap, but in part representing Middle English repen, from Anglo-Saxon hrepian, touch, treat, = OFries. reppa, touch, move, = Middle Dutch reppen, move, = Low German reppen, touch, move, later G. rappen, scrape, = Icelandic hreppa, catch, obtain, = Swedish repa, scratch. Cf. rape.
  5. Perhaps a particular use of rap. There is nothing to connect the word with Middle High German G. rappe, a coin so called: see rappe.
  6. Origin obscure.
 

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/ræp/
by American Heritage

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