hoarser; hoarsest
1
: rough or harsh in sound : grating
a hoarse voice
2
: having a hoarse voice
shouted himself hoarse
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

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 Her voice was still hoarse from a weekend that also included several galas and the Critics Choice Awards. Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Elvis sounding hoarse, very likely high, and barely committed to any single note. Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2024 Dan Campbell will have the team fired up to make sure the Lions don’t squander their best chance at the divisional round in three decades, and the crowd will be rocking as fans go hoarse watching the first home playoff game in Ford Field history. Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 7 Jan. 2024 The Trilogy tour, in all, was a dizzying, unstoppable force, a celebration of three Latin icons who are hell-bent on getting your hips moving and your throat hoarse from screaming. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023 His voice was still hoarse from Lopez’s election night party. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Perhaps that’s because Spider Stacy’s raw, hoarse vocal style was so close to MacGowan’s that many listeners may not have even realized that the band changed singers. Al Shipley, SPIN, 30 Nov. 2023 His voice hoarse from barking play calls, Thompson-Robinson concluded the conversation by shifting his attention to the next game against the Denver Broncos. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023 Dobbs led a final-minute TD drive with assists from his hoarse coach to deliver a 31-28 victory against the Falcons. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hoarse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hos, hors, probably from Old Norse *hārs, hāss; akin to Old English hās hoarse, Old High German heis

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near hoarse

Cite this Entry

“Hoarse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoarse. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hoarse

adjective
ˈhō(ə)rs How to pronounce hoarse (audio)
ˈhȯ(ə)rs
hoarser; hoarsest
1
: harsh in sound
2
: having a rough voice
a cold made me hoarse
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

Medical Definition

hoarse

adjective
hoarser; hoarsest
1
: rough or harsh in sound
a hoarse voice
2
: having a hoarse voice
was hoarse from shouting
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hoarse

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