- a variation of rap music.
rap
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to strike, especially with a quick, smart, or light blow.
He rapped the door with his cane.
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to utter sharply or vigorously.
to rap out a command.
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(of a spirit summoned by a medium) to communicate (a message) by raps (often followed byout ).
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Slang. to criticize sharply.
Critics could hardly wait to rap the play.
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Slang. to arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime.
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Metallurgy. to jar (a pattern) loose from a sand mold.
verb (used without object)
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to knock smartly or lightly, especially so as to make a noise.
to rap on a door.
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Slang. to talk or discuss, especially freely, openly, or volubly; chat.
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Slang. to talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music.
noun
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a quick, smart, or light blow.
a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.
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the sound produced by such a blow.
They heard a loud rap at the door.
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Slang. blame or punishment, especially for a crime.
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Slang. a criminal charge.
a murder rap.
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Slang. response, reception, or judgment.
The product has been getting a very bad rap.
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Slang.
idioms
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take the rap, to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another.
He took the rap for the burglary.
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beat the rap, to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted.
The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.
verb (used with object)
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to carry off; transport.
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to transport with rapture.
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to seize for oneself; snatch.
verb
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to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock
he rapped at the door
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(intr) to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking
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(tr) to rebuke or criticize sharply
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to put (forth) in sharp rapid speech; utter in an abrupt fashion
to rap out orders
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slang (intr) to talk, esp volubly
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(intr) to perform a rhythmic monologue with a musical backing
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to reprimand
noun
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a sharp quick blow or the sound produced by such a blow
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a sharp rebuke or criticism
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slang voluble talk; chatter
stop your rap
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a fast, rhythmic monologue over a prerecorded instrumental track
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( as modifier )
rap music
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slang a legal charge or case
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slang to escape punishment or be acquitted of a crime
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slang to suffer the consequences of a mistake, misdeed, or crime, whether guilty or not
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rap1
First recorded in 1300–50; 1960–65 rap 1 for def. 8; Middle English verb rappen; akin to Swedish rappa “to beat, drub,” German rappeln “to rattle”; the senses “to talk” and “conversation, talk” are perhaps of distinct origin, though the hypothesis that these meanings are a shortening of repartee is questionable
Origin of rap2
First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain
Origin of rap3
First recorded in 1520–30; back formation from rapt
Explanation
To rap is to hit something, talk, or bust into rhymes like the Fat Boys in the rap song “Human Beat Box” (1984). That’s some old school Brooklyn rap, but you can rap to any beat you want. Hit it! A rap is a knock or blow, like if you rap somebody upside the head as a gentle reminder to pay attention. The word rap also means, "reputation,” like if you get a bad rap at school for sleeping in class. It’s also "to talk at great length." And there’s the musical rap, the “genre that includes talking rhythmically over a beat.” This meaning comes from African American slang for, basically, "talking.”
Vocabulary lists containing rap
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Only one unarmed bodyguard for the most popular rap artist in the world,” Sanft said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Banks won a Grammy in February 2024 for best melodic rap performance for “All My Life” featuring J. Cole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
More than a decade after scam rap emerged from the buzzier, grimier corners of Detroit hip-hop, a scammer anthem from a South Floridian is arguably the song of the summer.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
The only suspect ever charged for the drive-by shooting that killed rap superstar Tupac Shakur on 7 September 1996 is Duane "Keffe D" Davis.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
I step inside and glance around at the wrinkled rap posters hanging alongside his framed photographs of Stephen Hawking and Martin Luther King.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Dre also rapped a verse—in fact, he originally intended to use the song for his next album, according to “Only God Can Judge Me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He rapped alongside Tupac Shakur in hip-hop groups Outlawz and Thug Life in the ’90s and continued to release music after his stepbrother’s death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
David Cameron was rapped on the knuckles when he claimed the late queen "purred" down the phone line when he told her the result of the Scottish referendum.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
He rapped about the hardships of Nepali farmers in his politically conscious song—“Prashna,” meaning “Question”—over a gritty, Wu-Tang Clan-style beat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Then she rapped gently on the door before entering.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
"We were playing instruments, they were rapping and playing their instruments," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Even megastar Bruno Mars joins in on the fun, gamely rapping the cowbell on “Never Wanna Lose You.”
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The relentless focus solely on rapping makes “Iceman” exhausting, even though there are some strong tracks along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
But the nonchalance of the sapphic romance portrayed in the video for 2025’s “First Luv,” and the ferocious rapping of “Shagidi” show this is an ambitious band with influence and inventiveness, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Walter and I are relaxing between the matinée and evening show when there’s a soft rapping on our door.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
In Chandler and Pierre, “Lanterns” has an extraordinary pairing that sustains enough frustration, humor, passion and regret to keep us rapt through the episodes provided for review.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
As reactionary as that sounds, I was totally rapt.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The tears, Sherman reassured her rapt audience, were “largely exhaustion.”
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
It's now 24 years since Rhona Martin delivered the Stone of Destiny in Salt Lake City, watched by millions of rapt viewers at dark o'clock in the UK.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Now the judge leaned in to listen with rapt attention.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.