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 Here are five takeaways from the debate: Biden, with hoarse voice, fails to ease anxieties on age The 81-year-old Biden didn't do himself any favors in terms of easing concerns about his age and acuity − which polling shows continues to be one of his biggest liabilities. Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024 Biden’s voice was hoarse and halting, especially early in the debate. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024 For years, various politicians and pundits have yelled themselves hoarse over the danger of normalizing Trump’s chicanery, casual mendacity, outrageous divisiveness and outright criminal behavior. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024 Now, though, all of those guys were sounding kind of… hoarse. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for hoarse 

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 9 Oct. 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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