Definition

1. Noun:

   • A quick, sharp blow or knock: A light, sharp hit, often with the knuckles or an object.
   • A type of music: A genre of popular music where rhythmic and rhyming speech is chanted over a backing track or beat.
   • A conversation or discussion: Informal talk, often fast-paced or voluble.
   • A criticism or rebuke: A blame or punishment, often perceived as unfair or undeserved.
   • The sound of a light blow: The noise produced by a gentle tap or knock.

2. Verb:

   • To strike quickly and sharply: To hit something lightly but sharply, often with the knuckles.
   • To perform rap music: To speak rhythmic, rhyming lyrics in the style of rap music.
   • To talk volubly or freely: To converse in a lively, informal, and often rapid manner.
   • To make a light, repeated tapping sound: To produce a series of light knocking noises.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He gave the table a sharp rap with his knuckles.
  • She loves listening to old-school rap from the 90s.
  • We had a long rap about politics last night.
  • He got a rap on the knuckles from the teacher for talking.
  • I heard a faint rap at the window.

• Verb:

  • Please don't rap your pen on the desk; it's distracting.
  • The artist will rap over a classic funk sample.
  • They sat and rapped for hours about life and art.
  • The branch rapped against the glass in the wind.

Advanced Usage

• "To take the rap": To accept blame or punishment, often for something one did not do.

  • He decided to take the rap for the team's mistake to protect his friend.

• "A bum rap": An unfair accusation or punishment.

  • The court's decision was a bum rap; the evidence was weak.

• "Rap sheet": A criminal record listing a person's arrests and convictions.

  • The suspect had a long rap sheet for petty theft.

Variants and Related Words

• Rapper (n): A person who performs rap music.

  • The rapper released a new album last week.

• Rap music (n): The full term for the musical genre.

  • Rap music has become a dominant force in global culture.

Synonyms

• Noun (blow): Tap, knock, whack.
• Noun (music): Hip-hop (note: while related, hip-hop is a broader cultural movement).
• Noun (blame): Censure, rebuke, condemnation.
• Verb (hit): Tap, knock, strike.
• Verb (talk): Chat, converse, gab.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Rap out: To say something suddenly, sharply, or in a staccato manner.

  • The officer rapped out the orders to his squad.

• Rap on/at: To knock on a surface, like a door.

  • Someone is rapping on the door.

Related Idioms

• Beat the rap: To avoid conviction or punishment for a crime.

  • With a good lawyer, he managed to beat the rap.

• Rap someone's knuckles: To reprimand or punish someone, often lightly.

  • The manager rapped his knuckles for the minor error in the report.

Noun

1. the act of hitting vigorously
   • he gave the table a whack
2. genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment; several forms of rap have emerged
3. voluble conversation
4. the sound made by a gentle blow
5. a gentle blow
6. a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
   • he took the blame for it
   • it was a bum rap

Verb

1. talk volubly
2. perform rap music
3. make light, repeated taps on a surface
   • he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently
4. strike sharply
   • rap him on the knuckles