hoarse

adjective

\ˈhȯrs

\

hoarser; hoarsest

Definition of hoarse

1 : rough or harsh in sound : grating a hoarse voice

2 : having a hoarse voice shouted himself hoarse

Other Words from hoarse Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hoarse

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of hoarse in a Sentence

She could only speak in a hoarse whisper. The cold made me a little hoarse.

Recent Examples on the Web

When the other voices are not enough, Smith pulls a hoarse yell from somewhere near his sternum and lathers out his judgment. — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, "Stephen A. Smith Won’t Stop Talking," 16 June 2018 Pat Casey’s eyes well and his voice grows hoarse in recalling the scene. — SI.com, "Prospect and Pariah," 16 May 2018 Once a dog's vocal cords have been removed its bark is said to sound more like a hoarse cough. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, "Breeder 'debarked' dogs by shoving a pipe down their throats, Penn. authorities say," 30 May 2018 Was quite high and sang myself hoarse on the bus back. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Service Diary of a Corpsman: Roy L. Wall, LST 509," 28 May 2018 Playing in the Wells Fargo Tournament’s Pro-Am, the former Panthers, Broncos and Bears coach was as jovial as ever with his hoarse voice and rosey cheeks. — Jonathan Jones, SI.com, "John Fox Gets Why the Bears Let Him Go," 11 May 2018 In the telephone call, a Chinese woman vents her despair between hoarse sobs. — Chris Buckley And Melissa Eddy, New York Times, "Liu Xia, in Call From China, Tells of the Agony of Endless Captivity," 4 May 2018 ShipRockers vacationed hard with rock and metal, including Stone Sour, Seether, In This Moment and Black Label Society, who gave them all a week of ringing ears, tan lines (and some serious burns), hoarse voices and a whole lot of fun. — Liz Ramanand, Billboard, "ShipRocked 2018 Cruise Crashes the Waves with Seether, Stone Sour, P.O.D., Black Label Society & More," 26 Jan. 2018 Brace yourself for Monday As the day drew on, many chanted until their voices grew hoarse. — Morgan Watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky teachers fill Capitol with all-day display of outrage over pensions, school funding," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hoarse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about hoarse

Dictionary Entries near hoarse

Phrases Related to hoarse

shout oneself hoarse

Statistics for hoarse

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for hoarse

The first known use of hoarse was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for hoarse

hoarse

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of hoarse

: having a harsh or rough sound or voice

See the full definition for hoarse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hoarse

adjective

\ˈhȯrs

\

hoarser; hoarsest

Kids Definition of hoarse

1 : harsh in sound a hoarse voice

2 : having a rough voice I was hoarse from talking too much.

hoarse

adjective

\ˈhō(ə)rs, ˈhȯ(ə)rs

\

hoarser; hoarsest

Medical Definition of hoarse

1 : rough or harsh in sound a hoarse voice

2 : having a hoarse voice was hoarse from shouting

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

brouhaha

a state of commotion or excitement

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games