rap¹ (răp)

v., rapped, rap·ping, raps.

v.tr.

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

v.intr.
To strike a quick light blow: rapped on the door.

n.

1. A quick light blow or knock.
2. A knocking or tapping sound.
3. Slang.
   1. A reprimand.
   2. A sentence to serve time in prison.
4. Slang. A negative quality or characteristic associated with a person or an object.

idioms:

beat the rap Slang.

1. To escape punishment or be acquitted of a charge.

take the rap Slang.

1. To accept punishment or take the blame for an offense or error.

[Middle English rappen, possibly of imitative origin.]

rap² (răp)
tr.v. Archaic, rapt, or rapped (răpt), rap·ping, raps.

1. past participle, rapt. To enchant or seize with rapture.
2. To snatch.

[Back-formation from RAPT.]

rap³ (răp)
n. Informal
The least bit: I don't give a rap about office politics. I don't care a rap what you do.

[From obsolete rap, 18th-century Irish counterfeit halfpenny, from Irish Gaelic, alteration (possibly influenced by rap, piece, bit), of ropaire, cutthroat. See rapparee.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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